Shloka 4
Matsya Purana — Cosmography of Jambūdvīpa: Varṣas
*सूत उवाच द्वीपभेदसहस्राणि सप्त चान्तर्गतानि च न शक्यन्ते क्रमेणेह वक्तुं वै सकलं जगत् //
*sūta uvāca dvīpabhedasahasrāṇi sapta cāntargatāni ca na śakyante krameṇeha vaktuṃ vai sakalaṃ jagat //
Sūta said: The thousands of divisions of the continents (dvīpas)—and the seven that are contained within them—cannot be fully spoken here in due sequence; indeed, the whole world cannot be recounted in its entirety.
FAQs
This verse does not describe pralaya directly; it emphasizes the vastness and complexity of the world’s cosmographic divisions, implying that the full cosmic order is too extensive to narrate exhaustively in sequence.
Indirectly, it frames humility and epistemic restraint: rulers and householders are urged in Purāṇic ethics to govern and live according to dharma without presuming complete mastery over all cosmic details, relying on authoritative summaries and practical duties.
No direct Vāstu or ritual rule is stated; however, Purāṇic cosmography often underlies sacred geography and temple orientation by treating the world as an ordered space—this verse flags that such ordering has many subdivisions beyond a brief recital.