Shloka 11

Devanagari script

प्रियव्रतो ददौ तेषां सप्तानां मुनिसत्तम विभज्य सप्त द्वीपानि मैत्रेय सुमहात्मनाम्

Transliteration

priyavrato dadau teṣāṃ saptānāṃ munisattama vibhajya sapta dvīpāni maitreya sumahātmanām

Translation

O best of sages, Maitreya—Priyavrata, having apportioned the earth into seven island-continents, bestowed those seven dvīpas upon those seven great-souled ones.

Word by Word

• प्रियव्रतः: Priyavrata
• प्रियव्रतः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: प्रियव्रत (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), एकवचन

• ददौ: gave
• ददौ: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: दा (धातु)
• Form: लिट् (Perfect), परस्मैपद, प्रथमपुरुष (3rd person), एकवचन

• तेषाम्: to/for them; of them
• तेषाम्: Sampradana (Recipient—genitive/सम्प्रदान)
• Type: Noun
• Root: तद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, षष्ठी (6th/Genitive), बहुवचन; सर्वनाम

• सप्तानाम्: of the seven
• सप्तानाम्: Sambandha (Genitive qualifier/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: सप्त (संख्या-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग/नपुंसकलिङ्ग, षष्ठी (6th/Genitive), बहुवचन; संख्याविशेषण

• मुनिसत्तम: O best of sages
• मुनिसत्तम: Sambodhana (Address/सम्बोधन)
• Type: Noun
• Root: मुनि + सत्तम (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, सम्बोधन (Vocative), एकवचन; षष्ठी-तत्पुरुष (best among sages)

• विभज्य: having divided
• विभज्य: Purvakala-kriya (Prior action/पूर्वकालक्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: वि + भज् (धातु)
• Form: क्त्वान्त (absolutive/gerund), अव्ययभाव; ‘having divided’

• सप्त: seven
• सप्त: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: सप्त (संख्या-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd/Accusative), बहुवचन; संख्याविशेषण (agreeing with द्वीपानि)

• द्वीपानि: islands/continents
• द्वीपानि: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: द्वीप (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd/Accusative), बहुवचन

• मैत्रेय: O Maitreya
• मैत्रेय: Sambodhana (Address/सम्बोधन)
• Type: Noun
• Root: मैत्रेय (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, सम्बोधन (Vocative), एकवचन

• सुमहात्मनाम्: of the very great-souled (ones)
• सुमहात्मनाम्: Sambandha (Genitive qualifier/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: सु + महात्मन् (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, षष्ठी (6th/Genitive), बहुवचन; विशेषण (of the very great-souled)

Speaker

Sage Parāśara (speaking to Maitreya)

Parashara-Maitreya Dialogue

Speaker: Parasara

Topic: How Priyavrata organized the earth and assigned the seven dvīpas

Teaching: Historical

Quality: revealing

Cosmological Context

Cosmic Hierarchy: Dvipas (continents)

Philosophical Teaching

Concept: The earth is portrayed as a dharmically ordered realm, structured into seven dvīpas under righteous governance.

Vedantic Theme: Dharma

Application: See social and ecological stewardship as a sacred duty—govern or manage resources with fairness and responsibility.

Vishishtadvaita: World-order (jagat) is meaningful as the Lord’s body/realm to be administered in harmony with divine ordinance.

Dynasty & Genealogy

Dharma Exemplar: Rāja-dharma (world-ordering kingship)

Key Kings: Priyavrata

Vaishnava Theology

Vishnu Form: Narayana (cosmic)

Characters & Entities

• Priyavrata
• Maitreya
• Seven great-souled recipients (the seven)

FAQs

What is the significance of the seven dvīpas in the Vishnu Purana?

This verse presents the foundational act of world-ordering: the earth is conceived as seven island-continents, and their allocation establishes a divinely-aligned political and cosmic geography.

How does Sage Parāśara explain the ordering of the world through kings like Priyavrata?

Parāśara frames kingship as a dharmic instrument: Priyavrata does not merely rule—he organizes and apportions the world, assigning domains to qualified great-souled rulers to maintain stability and order.

What is the theological importance of Lord Vishnu in this context?

Even when Vishnu is not named directly, the Purana’s cosmology implies that such orderly division reflects Vishnu’s sustaining power—sovereignty and structure in the world mirror the Supreme Reality’s governance of creation.