Shloka 69

Matsya Purana — Division of Bhārata-varṣa

Devanagari script

मध्यमं तन्मया प्रोक्तं नाम्ना वर्षमिलावृतम् न तत्र सूर्यस्तपति न च जानन्ति मानवाः //

Transliteration

madhyamaṃ tanmayā proktaṃ nāmnā varṣamilāvṛtam na tatra sūryastapati na ca jānanti mānavāḥ //

Translation

That central region I have described is the land called Ilāvṛta-varṣa. There the Sun does not scorch, and human beings are not found (do not dwell there).

Word by Word

• मध्यमम् (madhyamam): the central (region)

• तत् (tat): that

• मया (mayā): by me

• प्रोक्तम् (proktam): has been stated/described

• नाम्ना (nāmnā): by name/as named

• वर्षम् (varṣam): a land/region (varṣa)

• इलावृतम् (ilāvṛtam): Ilāvṛta (name of the central varṣa)

• न (na): not

• तत्र (tatra): there

• सूर्यः (sūryaḥ): the Sun

• तपति (tapati): burns/scorches

• न (na): not

• च (ca): and

• जानन्ति (jānanti): know/are present (contextually: are found)

• मानवाः (mānavāḥ): human beings/men

Speaker

• Lord Matsya (Vishnu) instructing Vaivasvata Manu

Entities Mentioned

• Ilāvṛta-varṣa
• Sūrya (Sun)
• Mānavāḥ (humans)

Tags

• Cosmography
• Jambudvipa
• Ilavrta
• Sacred geography
• Puranic world-map

FAQs

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

This verse is not about Pralaya; it belongs to cosmographic description, identifying Ilāvṛta-varṣa as a special central region with conditions unlike ordinary human realms.

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

Indirectly, it frames the human realm as distinct from divine or extraordinary regions; the king/householder’s dharma is to be practiced in human-inhabited lands, not in inaccessible cosmological zones like Ilāvṛta.

What is the architectural or ritual significance mentioned here?

No direct Vāstu or ritual rule is stated; the takeaway is sacred-geographical—Ilāvṛta is portrayed as a unique central zone, often treated as non-human or exceptional in Purāṇic cosmology.