Shloka 92

Matsya Purana — Cosmography of Śākadvīpa and Successive Dvīpas: Mountains

Devanagari script

शाल्मलो द्विगुणो द्वीपः क्रौञ्चद्वीपस्य विस्तरात् परिवार्य समुद्रं तु दधिमण्डोदकं स्थितः //

Transliteration

śālmalo dviguṇo dvīpaḥ krauñcadvīpasya vistarāt parivārya samudraṃ tu dadhimaṇḍodakaṃ sthitaḥ //

Translation

Śālmala-dvīpa is twice the extent of Krauñca-dvīpa; and surrounding it lies the ocean whose waters are like dadhimaṇḍa (the whey or thin buttermilk of curd).

Word by Word

• शाल्मलः (śālmalaḥ): Śālmala

• द्विगुणः (dviguṇaḥ): double, twice

• द्वीपः (dvīpaḥ): continent/island

• क्रौञ्चद्वीपस्य (krauñcadvīpasya): of Krauñca-dvīpa

• विस्तरात् (vistarāt): in extent/expanse, by measure

• परिवार्य (parivārya): encircling, surrounding

• समुद्रम् (samudram): ocean

• तु (tu): and/indeed

• दधिमण्डोदकम् (dadhimaṇḍodakam): having water like dadhimaṇḍa (whey/thin buttermilk)

• स्थितः (sthitaḥ): is situated, lies/exists.

Speaker

• Lord Matsya (Vishnu) speaking to Vaivasvata Manu (contextual attribution for this cosmographic narration in the Matsya Purana)

Entities Mentioned

• Śālmala-dvīpa
• Krauñca-dvīpa
• Dadhimaṇḍa-samudra (ocean of whey/buttermilk)

Tags

• Cosmography
• Dvīpas
• Samudras
• Puranic Geography
• Matsya Purana

FAQs

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

This verse is not describing Pralaya; it presents cosmography—how the world is structured into dvīpas and oceans—by giving the relative size of Śālmala-dvīpa and naming the surrounding ocean as dadhimaṇḍa-like.

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

Directly it does not prescribe royal or household duties; indirectly, such cosmographic knowledge supports a king’s role as protector of dharma by grounding ritual calendars, pilgrim routes, and the Puranic worldview used in public instruction.

What is the architectural or ritual significance mentioned here?

No explicit Vāstu or temple rule appears here, but the dvīpa–samudra scheme is often used in ritual imagination (mandala-style world visualization) and in Purāṇic sacred geography that informs temple narratives and pilgrimage mapping.