Shloka 20

Bhu-maṇḍala-varṇanam

Description of the Earth-Maṇḍala, the Seven Continents, and Meru

Devanagari script

भद्राश्वं पूर्वतो मेरोः केतुमालं च पश्चिमे । वर्षे द्वे तु मुनिश्रेष्ठ तयोर्मध्य इलावृतम्

Transliteration

bhadrāśvaṃ pūrvato meroḥ ketumālaṃ ca paścime | varṣe dve tu muniśreṣṭha tayormadhya ilāvṛtam

Translation

O best of sages, to the east of Mount Meru lies Bhadrāśva, and to the west lies Ketumāla. These are two great varṣas; between them, in the middle, is Ilāvṛta.

Word by Word

• bhadrāśvam: Bhadrāśva (a region)
• bhadrāśvam: Karma (कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: bhadrāśva (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग/पुंलिङ्ग (देश/वर्ष-नाम), द्वितीया-विभक्ति, एकवचन

• pūrvataḥ: to the east
• pūrvataḥ: Adhikaraṇa (अधिकरण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: pūrvataḥ (अव्यय)
• Form: दिक्-प्रदर्शक-अव्यय (adverb of direction)

• meroḥ: of Meru
• meroḥ: Sambandha (सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: meru (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, षष्ठी-विभक्ति (genitive), एकवचन

• ketumālam: Ketumāla (a region)
• ketumālam: Karma (कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: ketumāla (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग/पुंलिङ्ग (देश/वर्ष-नाम), द्वितीया-विभक्ति, एकवचन

• ca: and
• ca: Sambandha (सम्बन्ध/connector)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: ca (अव्यय)
• Form: समुच्चय-अव्यय (conjunction)

• paścime: in the west
• paścime: Adhikaraṇa (अधिकरण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: paścima (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: सप्तमी-एकवचन-रूपेण दिक्-निर्देशे अव्ययीभूत (locative used adverbially: ‘in the west’)

• varṣe: (two) regions/varṣas
• varṣe: Karta (कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: varṣa (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया-द्विवचन-सम्भाव्य; अत्र ‘द्वे’ इत्यनेन सह—नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-द्विवचन (two regions)

• dve: two
• dve: Viśeṣaṇa (विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: dvi (प्रातिपदिक-संख्यावाचक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, द्विवचन; संख्याविशेषण

• tu: indeed/but
• tu: Sambandha (सम्बन्ध/particle)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: tu (अव्यय)
• Form: निपात (particle: emphasis/contrast)

• muni-śreṣṭha: O best of sages
• muni-śreṣṭha: Sambodhana (सम्बोधन)
• Type: Noun
• Root: muni (प्रातिपदिक) + śreṣṭha (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, सम्बोधन-विभक्ति (vocative), एकवचन; तत्पुरुष-समास (मुनीनां श्रेष्ठ)

• tayoḥ: of those two
• tayoḥ: Sambandha (सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: tad (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: षष्ठी-विभक्ति (genitive), द्विवचन; सर्वनाम

• madhye: in the middle
• madhye: Adhikaraṇa (अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: madhya (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, सप्तमी-विभक्ति (locative), एकवचन

• ilā-vṛtam: Ilāvṛta (the central region)
• ilā-vṛtam: Karta (कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: ilā (प्रातिपदिक) + vṛta (√vṛ, धातु; क्त)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन; क्त-प्रत्ययान्त ‘vṛta’; तत्पुरुष-समास (इलया वृतम्/इलावृत-नाम)

Speaker

Suta Goswami

Shaiva Theology

Tattva Level: pasha

Jyotirlinga Context

Sthala Purana: Cosmographic mapping around Meru: Bhadrāśva to the east, Ketumāla to the west, and Ilāvṛta centrally situated between them.

Significance: Establishes sacred orientation and cosmic order; in Purāṇic religiosity, knowing the ordered cosmos supports dharma and contemplative alignment with īśvara’s governance.

Shakti Dimension

Role: teaching

Cosmic Context

Cosmic Event: Purāṇic cosmography centered on Meru and Ilāvṛta

Characters & Entities

• Mount Meru
• Bhadrāśva
• Ketumāla
• Ilāvṛta

FAQs

What is the spiritual significance of this verse in the Shiva Purana?

By mapping the regions around Meru, the Purana presents a dharmic cosmos governed by divine order; in Shaiva Siddhanta, such order ultimately points the seeker toward Pati (Shiva) as the inner center beyond all directions.

How does this verse relate to the worship of the Linga or Saguna Shiva?

Meru and Ilāvṛta function as a symbolic ‘axis’ of the world; similarly, the Shiva-Linga is worshipped as the central support (ādhāra) through which Saguna Shiva is approached, leading the devotee toward the transcendent (Nirguna) reality of Shiva.

What ritualistic or meditative practice is suggested here?

Use the imagery of the cosmic center for meditation: sit facing east, steady the mind on the inner ‘Meru’ (spinal axis), and repeat the Panchakshara—“Om Namaḥ Śivāya”—to abide in Shiva as the unmoving center.