Shloka 17

प्रियव्रतवंशवर्णनम् — सप्तद्वीपविभागः, जम्बूद्वीप-वर्षविभागः, भरत-नामकरणम्

Devanagari script

जम्बूद्वीपविभागांस् तु तेषां विप्र निशामय पित्रा दत्तं हिमाह्वं तु वर्षं नाभेस् तु दक्षिणम्

Transliteration

jambūdvīpavibhāgāṃs tu teṣāṃ vipra niśāmaya pitrā dattaṃ himāhvaṃ tu varṣaṃ nābhes tu dakṣiṇam

Translation

O Brahmin, hear the divisions of Jambūdvīpa. The father bestowed the varṣa called Himāhva; and that region lies to the south of Nābhi.

Word by Word

• जम्बूद्वीप-विभागान्: the divisions of Jambūdvīpa
• जम्बूद्वीप-विभागान्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: जम्बूद्वीप (प्रातिपदिक) + विभाग (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति, बहुवचन; षष्ठी-तत्पुरुषः (जम्बूद्वीपस्य विभागाः)

• तु: indeed
• तु: Sambandha (Connector/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: तु (अव्यय)
• Form: विशेषणार्थक/विरोधार्थक अव्यय

• तेषाम्: of them
• तेषाम्: Sambandha (Genitive/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: तद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: षष्ठी-विभक्ति, बहुवचन; सर्वनाम

• विप्र: O brāhmaṇa
• विप्र: Sambodhana (Address/सम्बोधन)
• Type: Noun
• Root: विप्र (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, सम्बोधन-विभक्ति, एकवचन

• निशामय: listen, take note
• निशामय: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: नि-शम् (धातु)
• Form: लोट्-लकार (Imperative), मध्यम-पुरुष, एकवचन; परस्मैपद

• पित्रा: by the father
• पित्रा: Karana (Instrument/करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: पितृ (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, तृतीया-विभक्ति, एकवचन

• दत्तम्: given
• दत्तम्: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: दा (धातु)
• Form: कृदन्त (क्त-प्रत्ययान्त, past passive participle), नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया, एकवचन; (वर्षम् इति विशेष्यस्य विशेषणम्)

• हिम-आह्वम्: called Hima
• हिम-आह्वम्: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: हिम (प्रातिपदिक) + आह्व (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति, एकवचन; बहुव्रीहिः (हिमम् आह्वयति/हिम-नामकं)

• तु: indeed
• तु: Sambandha (Connector/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: तु (अव्यय)
• Form: विशेषणार्थक अव्यय

• वर्षम्: region, varṣa
• वर्षम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: वर्ष (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति, एकवचन

• नाभेः: of Nābhi
• नाभेः: Sambandha (Genitive/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: नाभि (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, षष्ठी-विभक्ति, एकवचन

• तु: indeed
• तु: Sambandha (Connector/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: तु (अव्यय)
• Form: विशेषणार्थक अव्यय

• दक्षिणम्: southern
• दक्षिणम्: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: दक्षिण (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति, एकवचन; (वर्षम् इति विशेष्यस्य विशेषणम्)

Speaker

Sage Parāśara (speaking to Maitreya)

Parashara-Maitreya Dialogue

Speaker: Parasara

Topic: Detailed allotment and relative positioning (north/south) of the varṣas in Jambūdvīpa.

Teaching: Cosmological

Quality: methodical, instructive

Cosmological Context

Cosmic Hierarchy: Varshas

Philosophical Teaching

Concept: The world is intelligible through ordained divisions (vibhāga) and proper placement, reflecting a law-governed cosmos rather than randomness.

Vedantic Theme: Dharma

Application: Cultivate ‘order’ in life—prioritize, set boundaries, and locate duties in their proper place—mirroring the Purāṇic emphasis on right arrangement.

Vishishtadvaita: Ordered plurality (many regions, many rulers) coheres within one overarching sovereignty—compatible with Viśiṣṭādvaita’s unity-in-difference.

Dynasty & Genealogy

Dharma Exemplar: Pitr-datta maryādā (boundary/portion assigned by the father according to order)

Key Kings: Nābhi

Characters & Entities

• Jambūdvīpa
• Himāhva (Varṣa)
• Nābhi

FAQs

What is the significance of Jambūdvīpa’s divisions in the Vishnu Purana?

They present sacred geography as a structured, dharma-governed world-order, where regions (varṣas) are situated and named as parts of a larger cosmic design ultimately upheld by Vishnu.

How does Sage Parāśara explain the placement of regions like Himāhva?

Parāśara describes varṣas through relational markers—such as being bestowed by an ancestor (“the father gave”) and by directional location (e.g., “south of Nābhi”)—to anchor cosmology in a narratively traceable map.

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

Even when Vishnu is not named in the verse, the Purāṇic worldview assumes the earth’s order and allotment of realms as expressions of Vishnu’s sustaining sovereignty over creation.