Adhyaya 53 — Rudrasarga and the Measure of the Manvantaras: Svayambhuva Manu, Priyavrata’s Line, and the Seven Dvipas
यैरियं पृथिवी सर्वा सप्तद्वीपा सपर्वता ।
ससमुद्राकरवती प्रतिवर्षं निवेशिता ॥
yair iyaṃ pṛthivī sarvā saptadvīpā saparvatā |
sasamudrākaravatī prativarṣaṃ niveśitā ||
By them this entire earth—consisting of seven continents and their mountains, with seas and mines—was settled and apportioned, varṣa by varṣa (region by region).
The world is portrayed as governable through dharmic organization—settlement and division are not mere conquest but structured stewardship of land and resources.
Sarga/Pratisarga-adjacent cosmography (description of the world’s structure) and Manvantara-linked administration of the earth by Manu’s line.
Seven dvīpas can be read as a template of completeness (saptaka symbolism), suggesting a total cosmic order where geography mirrors layered planes of experience.