Shloka 49

Matsya Purana — Cosmography of Śākadvīpa and Successive Dvīpas: Mountains

Devanagari script

अथ तृतीयं वक्ष्यामि कुशद्वीपं च कृत्स्नशः कुशद्वीपेन क्षीरोदः सर्वतः परिवारितः //

Transliteration

atha tṛtīyaṃ vakṣyāmi kuśadvīpaṃ ca kṛtsnaśaḥ kuśadvīpena kṣīrodaḥ sarvataḥ parivāritaḥ //

Translation

Now I shall describe in full the third continent, Kuśadvīpa; and all around Kuśadvīpa lies the ocean called Kṣīroda (the Sea of Milk), encircling it on every side.

Word by Word

• atha: now

• tṛtīyam: the third

• vakṣyāmi: I shall describe

• kuśadvīpam: Kuśadvīpa (the continent named after kuśa-grass)

• ca: and

• kṛtsnaśaḥ: completely, in full

• kuśadvīpena: by/around Kuśadvīpa

• kṣīrodaḥ: Kṣīroda, the milk-ocean

• sarvataḥ: on all sides

• parivāritaḥ: surrounded, encircled

Speaker

• Lord Matsya (Vishnu) speaking to Vaivasvata Manu (contextual cosmography narration)

Entities Mentioned

• Kuśadvīpa
• Kṣīroda (Ocean of Milk)

Tags

• Cosmography
• Dvīpas
• Sacred Geography
• Puranic Universe
• Bhū-maṇḍala

FAQs

What does this verse reveal about the creation or dissolution (Pralaya)?

This verse is not about Pralaya; it belongs to the cosmographic mapping of the world (dvīpa–samudra scheme), stating that Kuśadvīpa is encircled by the Kṣīroda (Milk Ocean).

How does this verse relate to the duties of a King or Householder?

Directly it does not prescribe duties; indirectly, such cosmographic passages ground dharma in a sacred worldview, reminding rulers and householders that governance and ritual life are situated within a divinely ordered cosmos.

What is the architectural or ritual significance mentioned here?

No explicit Vāstu rule is stated; however, the named Kṣīroda (Milk Ocean) is ritually symbolic of purity and auspiciousness, often invoked in Puranic imagination for sacred spaces and consecratory ideals.