Shloka 31

प्रियव्रतवंशवर्णनम् — सप्तद्वीपविभागः, जम्बूद्वीप-वर्षविभागः, भरत-नामकरणम्

Devanagari script

ततश् च भारतं वर्षम् एतल् लोकेषु गीयते भरताय यतः पित्रा दत्तं प्रातिष्ठता वनम्

Transliteration

tataś ca bhārataṃ varṣam etal lokeṣu gīyate bharatāya yataḥ pitrā dattaṃ prātiṣṭhatā vanam

Translation

Thus this land is sung of among the worlds as Bhārata-varṣa, for it was bestowed by his father upon Bharata, and Bharata then established himself in the forest.

Word by Word

• ततः: thereafter/therefore
• ततः: Kriya-visheshana (Adverbial)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: ततः (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; क्रियाविशेषण

• च: and
• च: Sambandha (Connector)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: च (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; समुच्चयबोधक (conjunction)

• भारतं: Bhārata (named after Bharata)
• भारतं: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: भारत (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st), एकवचन; ‘वर्षम्’ इति विशेषण

• वर्षम्: the land/region (varṣa)
• वर्षम्: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: वर्ष (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st), एकवचन

• एतत्: this
• एतत्: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: एतद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st), एकवचन; सर्वनाम; ‘वर्षम्’ इति विशेषण

• लोकेषु: in the worlds/among people
• लोकेषु: Adhikarana (Locus/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: लोक (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुल्लिङ्ग, सप्तमी (7th/अधिकरण), बहुवचन

• गीयते: is sung/celebrated
• गीयते: Kriya (Predicate)
• Type: Verb
• Root: गै (धातु)
• Form: लट् (वर्तमान), प्रथमपुरुष, एकवचन; आत्मनेपद; कर्मणि प्रयोग (is sung)

• भरताय: to Bharata
• भरताय: Sampradana (Recipient/सम्प्रदान)
• Type: Noun
• Root: भरत (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुल्लिङ्ग, चतुर्थी (4th/सम्प्रदान), एकवचन

• यतः: because
• यतः: Hetu (Cause)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: यतः (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; हेत्वर्थक/यत्-सम्बन्ध (because/for which reason)

• पित्रा: by (his) father
• पित्रा: Kartr (Agent in passive/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: पितृ (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुल्लिङ्ग, तृतीया (3rd/करण), एकवचन; कर्तृ-करणभाव (by the father)

• दत्तम्: given
• दत्तम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Verb
• Root: दा (धातु) + क्त (कृदन्त)
• Form: भूतकृदन्त (क्त) ‘दत्त’; नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया, एकवचन; ‘वर्षम्’ इत्यस्य विशेषण (given)

• प्रातिष्ठत: set out/entered
• प्रातिष्ठत: Kriya (Predicate)
• Type: Verb
• Root: प्र + स्था (धातु)
• Form: लुङ् (अद्यतनभूत/अorist), प्रथमपुरुष, एकवचन; परस्मैपद (set out/entered)

• वनम्: the forest
• वनम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: वन (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd/कर्म), एकवचन

Speaker

Sage Parāśara (narrating to Maitreya)

Parashara-Maitreya Dialogue

Speaker: Parasara

Topic: Why this varṣa is called Bhārata-varṣa

Teaching: Cosmological

Quality: revealing

Cosmological Context

Cosmic Hierarchy: Varshas

Philosophical Teaching

Concept: Worldly sovereignty is transient; the land’s glory is remembered through the renouncer Bharata rather than through mere dominion.

Vedantic Theme: Dharma

Application: Treat roles and possessions as trusteeship; prioritize inner life and dharma over identity built on territory or power.

Vishishtadvaita: The human realm (Bhārata) is meaningful as a field for surrender and God-oriented striving, not as an end in itself.

Dynasty & Genealogy

Dharma Exemplar: tyāga (renunciation)

Key Kings: Bharata

Vaishnava Theology

Vishnu Form: Narayana

Characters & Entities

• Bharata
• Bhārata-varṣa
• Bharata's father (the king)

FAQs

What is the significance of Bhārata-varṣa being “sung among the worlds” in the Vishnu Purana?

It presents Bhārata-varṣa as a universally recognized sacred land in the Purāṇic cosmos, whose very name carries remembered lineage and dharmic meaning.

How does Sage Parāśara explain the origin of the name Bhārata-varṣa?

He derives it from Bharata: the land is called Bhārata because it was given to Bharata by his father, linking geography to dynastic history.

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

Even when describing place-names and lineage, the Vishnu Purana frames worldly order—kingship, land, and renunciation—as part of the divinely sustained cosmic order under Vishnu’s sovereignty.