Shloka 9
एकान्तिधर्म-प्रश्नः (Inquiry into Ekāntin Dharma) / The Origin and Practice of Single-Pointed Nārāyaṇa-Centered Discipline
मेरो: सहस्रै: स हि योजनानां द्वात्रिंशतोर्थ्व कविभिरननिरुक्त: | अनिन्द्रियाश्ञानशनाश्न तत्र निष्पन्दहीना: सुसुगन्धिनस्ते
Meruḥ sahasraiḥ sa hi yojanānāṃ dvātriṃśad-ūrdhvaḥ kavibhir ananiruktaḥ | anindriyāś cānāśanāś ca tatra niṣpanda-hīnāḥ su-sugandhinaś te ||
Nārada said: Before them there appeared the vast island famed as Śveta, situated in the northern region of the Ocean of Milk. The sages describe it as rising thirty-two thousand yojanas above Mount Meru. The beings who dwell there are said to be beyond the senses, free from the need for food, and without restless activity—yet endowed with true knowledge; and a fine fragrance continually emanates from their bodies.
नारद उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse presents an ideal of purified existence: freedom from sensory compulsion, craving for food, and restless activity, while remaining established in knowledge. Ethically, it points toward restraint, inner stillness, and wisdom as marks of higher life.
Nārada describes a visionary geography: the appearance of the great Śveta-dvīpa in the northern part of the Ocean of Milk, its immense height relative to Meru, and the extraordinary qualities of its inhabitants.