Shloka 12
Adhyāya 6: Pañca-mahābhūta–guṇa-nirdeśa and Sudarśana-dvīpa
Five Elements, Sensory Qualities, and a Cosmographic Island
ऊर्ध्वमधश्च तिर्यक् च लोकानावृत्य तिष्ठति । तस्य पार्श्चैंष्वमी द्वीपाश्षत्वार: संस्थिता विभो,प्रभो! मेरुपर्वत ऊपर-नीचे तथा अगल-बगल सम्पूर्ण लोकोंको आवृत करके खड़ा है। उसके पार्श्चभागमें ये चार द्वीप बसे हुए हैं
ūrdhvam adhaś ca tiryak ca lokān āvṛtya tiṣṭhati | tasya pārśveṣu ime dvīpāś catvāraḥ saṃsthitā vibho prabho |
Sañjaya said: “Mount Meru stands firm, veiling the worlds above, below, and across. On its flanks, O mighty lord, O master, these four great continents (dvīpas) are situated.”
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse presents Meru as the cosmic axis around which the worlds and continents are arranged, emphasizing an ordered universe. In narrative terms, such cosmological framing supports the idea that human action—especially royal and martial action—occurs within a larger, structured moral and cosmic order.
Sañjaya is describing the structure of the world, focusing on Mount Meru and the four dvīpas positioned around it. This is part of a broader descriptive passage that situates events and peoples within a sacred-geographical map.