Shloka 69

Matsya Purana — Cosmography of Śākadvīpa and Successive Dvīpas: Mountains

Devanagari script

एतान्यपि विशिष्टानि सप्त सप्त पृथक्पृथक् वर्षाणि पर्वताश्चैव नदीस्तेषु निबोधत //

Transliteration

etānyapi viśiṣṭāni sapta sapta pṛthakpṛthak varṣāṇi parvatāścaiva nadīsteṣu nibodhata //

Translation

Learn also of these distinguished sets—seven and seven, each separately: the regions (varṣas), the mountains, and the rivers that belong to them.

Word by Word

• etāni: these

• api: also

• viśiṣṭāni: distinguished, specific

• sapta sapta: seven and seven (groups of seven)

• pṛthak pṛthak: separately, one by one

• varṣāṇi: regions/countries (varṣas)

• parvatāḥ: mountains

• ca eva: and indeed/also

• nadīḥ: rivers

• teṣu: in/among them, pertaining to those

• nibodhata: understand, take note (imperative).

Speaker

• Lord Matsya (instructing Vaivasvata Manu)

Entities Mentioned

• Varṣas (cosmic regions)
• Parvatas (mountains)
• Nadīs (rivers)

Tags

• Cosmography
• Bhū-maṇḍala
• Jambūdvīpa
• Geography
• Puranic mapping

FAQs

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

This verse is not about Pralaya; it signals a cosmographic listing—how the world is mapped into sets of seven regions, with their associated mountains and rivers.

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

Indirectly, it frames dharmic governance and ritual life within a sacred geography—knowing regions, rivers, and mountains supports pilgrimage, boundary-setting, and the king’s role as protector of the land’s ordered divisions.

What is the architectural or ritual significance mentioned here?

No explicit Vāstu rule is stated here, but such river–mountain mappings commonly ground tīrtha-rituals and site sanctity—key inputs later used when choosing auspicious locales for temples and settlements.