Shloka 22

प्रियव्रतवंशवर्णनम् — सप्तद्वीपविभागः, जम्बूद्वीप-वर्षविभागः, भरत-नामकरणम्

Devanagari script

गन्धमादनवर्षं तु केतुमालाय दत्तवान् इत्य् एतानि ददौ तेभ्यः पुत्रेभ्यः स नरेश्वरः

Transliteration

gandhamādanavarṣaṃ tu ketumālāya dattavān ity etāni dadau tebhyaḥ putrebhyaḥ sa nareśvaraḥ

Translation

And to Ketumāla he bestowed the region called Gandhamādana-varṣa; thus did that lord of men distribute these divisions of the earth among his sons.

Word by Word

• गन्धमादनवर्षम्: Gandhamādana-varṣa (region)
• गन्धमादनवर्षम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: गन्धमादन (प्रातिपदिक) + वर्ष (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2), एकवचन; षष्ठी-तत्पुरुषः (गन्धमादनस्य वर्षम्) (Neuter acc sg; genitive tatpurusha)

• तु: but/and
• तु: Sambandha (Discourse particle/निपात)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: तु (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; अवधान/विरोधार्थक-निपात (particle; ‘but/and then’)

• केतुमालाय: to Ketumālā
• केतुमालाय: Sampradana (Recipient/सम्प्रदान)
• Type: Noun
• Root: केतुमाला (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, चतुर्थी (4), एकवचन; सम्प्रदानार्थे (Dative singular; to Ketumālā)

• दत्तवान्: (he) gave
• दत्तवान्: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Verb
• Root: दा (धातु) + क्तवत् (कृदन्त)
• Form: क्तवत्-प्रत्ययान्त कृदन्त, पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1), एकवचन; कर्तरि (Past active participle; masc nom sg; ‘gave/having given’)

• इति: thus
• इति: Sambandha (Quotative/इति)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: इति (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; उद्धरण/समाप्त्यर्थक-निपात (quotative particle)

• एतानि: these
• एतानि: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: एतद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2), बहुवचन; सर्वनाम (Neuter acc pl; ‘these’)

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

• तेभ्यः: to them
• तेभ्यः: Sampradana (Recipient/सम्प्रदान)
• Type: Noun
• Root: तद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, चतुर्थी (4), बहुवचन; सम्प्रदानार्थे (Dative plural; to them)

• पुत्रेभ्यः: to (his) sons
• पुत्रेभ्यः: Sampradana (Recipient/सम्प्रदान)
• Type: Noun
• Root: पुत्र (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, चतुर्थी (4), बहुवचन; सम्प्रदानार्थे (Dative plural; to (his) sons)

• सः: he
• सः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: तद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1), एकवचन; सर्वनाम (Masc nom sg; ‘he’)

• नरेश्वरः: the king
• नरेश्वरः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: नर (प्रातिपदिक) + ईश्वर (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1), एकवचन; षष्ठी-तत्पुरुषः (नराणाम् ईश्वरः) (Masc nom sg; ‘lord of men’)

Speaker

Sage Parāśara (narrating to Maitreya)

Cosmological Context

Cosmic Hierarchy: Varshas (regions)

Philosophical Teaching

Concept: Righteous kingship expresses dharma by distributing authority in a balanced, non-arbitrary manner aligned with cosmic design.

Vedantic Theme: Dharma

Application: In family or institutional succession, prioritize competence, clarity, and fairness to prevent conflict and sustain harmony.

Vishishtadvaita: Social order is not merely secular; it participates in the Lord’s dharmic governance of the cosmos.

Dynasty & Genealogy

Dharma Exemplar: व्यवस्था (orderly sovereignty; fair distribution)

Key Kings: Ketumāla

Characters & Entities

• Ketumāla
• Gandhamādana-varṣa

FAQs

What is the significance of distributing varṣas in the Vishnu Purana?

It presents sacred geography as a dharmic, ordered cosmos—where rightful kingship mirrors the larger universal order under Vishnu’s providence.

How does Sage Parāśara explain cosmic order through kingship here?

By describing a king’s structured allotment of regions to his sons, Parāśara frames political rule as a terrestrial reflection of divinely sustained harmony.

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

Even when Vishnu is not named in the verse, the Purana’s cosmography assumes the world’s divisions and lawful sovereignty operate within Vishnu’s supreme, sustaining reality.