Shloka 11

Adhyaya 54 — Cosmography of Jambudvipa: Continents, Oceans, Varshas, and Mount Meru

Sanskrit

दशभिर्दशभिर्न्यूनैः सहस्रैस्तैः परस्परम् ।

द्विसाहस्त्रोच्छ्रयाः सर्वे तावद्विस्तारिणश्च ते ॥

Transliteration

daśabhir daśabhir nyūnaiḥ sahasrais taiḥ parasparam | dvi-sāhastra-ucchrayāḥ sarve tāvad vistāriṇaś ca te ||

Translation

They are separated from one another by ten thousand yojanas, each being less than the preceding by ten (that is, by successive tens). All of them are two thousand yojanas in height, and equal in measure in breadth.

Word by Word

• daśabhiḥ: by tens
• daśabhiḥ: Karaṇa (करण/Instrument)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: daśa (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्गे (neuter), तृतीया विभक्तिः (Instrumental/3rd), बहुवचनम् (Plural); संख्याविशेषणम् (numeral adjective)

• daśabhiḥ: by tens
• daśabhiḥ: Karaṇa (करण/Instrument)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: daśa (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्गे, तृतीया, बहुवचनम्; संख्याविशेषणम्

• nyūnaiḥ: less (by)
• nyūnaiḥ: Karaṇa (करण/Instrument)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: nyūna (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्गे (masculine) / नपुंसकलिङ्गे (neuter) सम्भवम्, तृतीया विभक्तिः, बहुवचनम्; विशेषणम् (qualifier)

• sahasraiḥ: by thousands
• sahasraiḥ: Karaṇa (करण/Instrument)
• Type: Noun
• Root: sahasra (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्गे, तृतीया विभक्तिः, बहुवचनम्

• taiḥ: by those
• taiḥ: Karaṇa (करण/Instrument)
• Type: Noun
• Root: tad (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्गे, तृतीया विभक्तिः, बहुवचनम्; सर्वनाम (pronoun)

• parasparam: mutually, with one another
• parasparam: Adhikaraṇa (अधिकरण/Locative sense)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: paraspara (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: अव्ययम् (indeclinable); परस्पर-अर्थे (reciprocal adverb)

• dvi-sāhastra-ucchrayāḥ: having a height of two thousand
• dvi-sāhastra-ucchrayāḥ: Karta (कर्ता/Subject)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: dvi (प्रातिपदिक) + sāhastra (प्रातिपदिक) + ucchraya (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्गे, प्रथमा विभक्तिः (Nominative/1st), बहुवचनम्; विशेषणम्; समासः—तत्पुरुषः (संख्यापूर्वक-निर्देशः: ‘द्विसाहस्र’ = two-thousand, ततः ‘उच्छ्रय’ = height)

• sarve: all
• sarve: Karta (कर्ता/Subject)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: sarva (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्गे, प्रथमा विभक्तिः, बहुवचनम्; सर्वनामसदृश-विशेषणम् (universal adjective)

• tāvat-vistāriṇaḥ: extended to that same extent
• tāvat-vistāriṇaḥ: Karta (कर्ता/Subject)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: tāvat (अव्यय/प्रातिपदिक-प्रयोग) + vistārin (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्गे, प्रथमा विभक्तिः, बहुवचनम्; विशेषणम्; समासः—अव्ययीभावः (‘तावत्’ = so much, ‘विस्तारिन्’ = spreading/extended)

• ca: and
• ca: Sambandha (सम्बन्ध/Connector)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: ca (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्ययम्; समुच्चयार्थक-निपातः (conjunction)

• te: they
• te: Karta (कर्ता/Subject)
• Type: Noun
• Root: tad (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्गे, प्रथमा विभक्तिः, बहुवचनम्; सर्वनाम

Speakers

• Unnamed Purāṇic narrator describing cosmic geography (frame-speakers not explicit in this excerpt)

Verse Rasa

{ "primaryRasa": "shanta", "secondaryRasa": "adbhuta", "rasaIntensity": 0, "emotionalArcPosition": "", "moodDescriptors": [] }

Key Themes

• Cosmology
• Sacred Geography
• Purāṇic Measurements
• Proportion/Order

FAQs

What is the philosophical or ethical takeaway?

The insistence on measured spacing and proportion reflects the Purāṇic preference for harmony and balance—an analogue to measured conduct (mita-ācāra) in dharma.

How does this fit the Pancalakshana (5 characteristics)?

Still within 'Sthāna'—quantifying the world’s structural features.

What is the esoteric significance?

Regular measures can be used as a meditative grid: the mind is trained to perceive order behind multiplicity, a step toward seeing unity behind diverse forms.