Shloka 16

भू-मण्डलसंक्षेपवर्णनम् — सप्तद्वीप-सप्तसमुद्राः, मेरु-मानम्, गङ्गावतरणम्, देववन-सरोवर-लोकपालपुर्यः

Devanagari script

मेरोश् चतुर्दिशं तत्र नवसाहस्रविस्तृतम् इलावृतं महाभाग चत्वारश् चात्र पर्वताः

Transliteration

meroś caturdiśaṃ tatra navasāhasravistṛtam ilāvṛtaṃ mahābhāga catvāraś cātra parvatāḥ

Translation

O noble one, on all four sides of Mount Meru lies Ilāvṛta, spreading nine thousand yojanas in extent. Within that region there are also four mountains.

Word by Word

• मेरोः: of Meru
• मेरोः: Sambandha (Genitive/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: मेरु (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, षष्ठी (6), एकवचन

• चतुर्दिशं: in four directions/around
• चतुर्दिशं: Visheshana (Adjectival/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: चतुर् + दिश् (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया (1/2), एकवचन; समासः—तत्पुरुष (चतस्रः दिशः यस्य/दिशि) ‘in four directions/around’

• तत्र: there
• तत्र: Adhikarana/Adverbial (अधिकरण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: तत्र (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; देशवाचक (there)

• नवसाहस्रविस्तृतम्: extended nine thousand (yojanas)
• नवसाहस्रविस्तृतम्: Visheshana (Adjectival/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: नव + साहस्र + विस्तृत (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया (1/2), एकवचन; समासः—तत्पुरुष (नवसाहस्रेण विस्तृतम् = extended by nine thousand)

• इलावृतं: Ilāvṛta (region)
• इलावृतं: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: इलावृत (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया (1/2), एकवचन

• महाभाग: O fortunate one
• महाभाग: Sambodhana (Vocative/सम्बोधन)
• Type: Noun
• Root: महाभाग (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, सम्बोधन (8), एकवचन; समासः—बहुव्रीहि (महान् भागः यस्य)

• चत्वारः: four
• चत्वारः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: चतुर् (संख्या-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1), बहुवचन; संख्याशब्द

• च: and
• च: Connector (समुच्चय)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: च (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; समुच्चयार्थक

• अत्र: here
• अत्र: Adhikarana/Adverbial (अधिकरण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: अत्र (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; देशवाचक (here)

• पर्वताः: mountains
• पर्वताः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: पर्वत (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1), बहुवचन

Speaker

Sage Parāśara (speaking to Maitreya)

Parashara-Maitreya Dialogue

Speaker: Parasara

Topic: Spatial arrangement around Meru and features within Ilāvṛta (four mountains)

Teaching: Cosmological

Quality: authoritative

Cosmological Context

Cosmic Hierarchy: Varshas (regions)

Philosophical Teaching

Concept: Sacred space is directionally ordered: Meru stands central, with Ilāvṛta extending symmetrically on all four sides and containing specific mountain features.

Vedantic Theme: Dharma

Application: Orient daily practice with ‘dik-bandhana’ (directional mindfulness): regularize worship and study with a stable center (one iṣṭa-devatā) amid life’s four directions.

Vishishtadvaita: Directional symmetry points to a purposeful, intelligible universe—an expression of the Lord’s rational governance rather than an illusory chaos.

Characters & Entities

• Meru
• Ilāvṛta

FAQs

What is the significance of Ilāvṛta in the Vishnu Purana?

Ilāvṛta is presented as the central region surrounding Mount Meru, functioning as a cosmological “hub” that anchors the Purāṇic map of Jambūdvīpa and the ordered structure of the universe.

How does Sage Parāśara explain the world’s arrangement here?

Parāśara explains it through sacred geography: he specifies relative placement (around Meru), spatial extent (nine thousand yojanas), and key features (the presence of four mountains), building a systematic description for Maitreya.

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

Even when Vishnu is not named in the verse, the Vishnu Purana frames cosmological order as grounded in the Supreme Reality—Vishnu—whose sovereignty underlies the measured, intelligible structure of the world-system.