Shloka 2
Matsya Purana — Solar–Lunar Motions
सप्तद्वीपसमुद्राणां द्वीपानां भाति विस्तरः विस्तरार्धं पृथिव्यास्तु भवेदन्यत्र बाह्यतः //
saptadvīpasamudrāṇāṃ dvīpānāṃ bhāti vistaraḥ vistarārdhaṃ pṛthivyāstu bhavedanyatra bāhyataḥ //
The expanse of the continents of the seven island-continents and their surrounding oceans is described as vast. Yet this known breadth is only half the extent of the earth; beyond it, outwardly, there is still more.
FAQs
It does not describe Pralaya directly; it frames the Purana’s cosmography by emphasizing that the known seven-dvipa world-system represents only a portion of the earth’s total extent, implying a larger cosmic geography beyond the described regions.
Indirectly, it supports the Purana’s worldview in which governance and dharma are situated within a vast, ordered cosmos; kings and householders are encouraged to act with humility and responsibility, recognizing their realm as only a part of the larger divine order described by Lord Matsya.
No explicit Vastu or ritual rule is stated here; the verse is primarily cosmographic. However, such cosmological measures often underpin later Purāṇic temple symbolism, where sacred space is conceived as a microcosm of the larger world-order.