Shloka 20

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

Devanagari script

रसेन तेषां प्रख्याता तत्र जम्बूनदीति वै सरित् प्रवर्तते सा च पीयते तन्निवासिभिः

Transliteration

rasena teṣāṃ prakhyātā tatra jambūnadīti vai sarit pravartate sā ca pīyate tannivāsibhiḥ

Translation

There, made renowned by its very sap, a river flows called the Jambūnadī; and the inhabitants of that land drink its waters.

Word by Word

• rasena: by/with the juice
• rasena: Karaṇa (Instrument/करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: rasa (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, तृतीया (3rd/Instrumental), एकवचन

• teṣām: of those (fruits)
• teṣām: Sambandha (Genitive/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: tad (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुं/नपुंसक, षष्ठी (6th/Genitive), बहुवचन; सर्वनाम

• prakhyātā: well-known
• prakhyātā: Viśeṣaṇa (Adjective/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: pra + khyā (धातु) + prakhyāta (कृदन्त-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: भूतकर्मणि कृदन्त (Past passive participle), स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन; सरित् इति विशेषणम्

• tatra: there
• tatra: Adhikaraṇa (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: tatra (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय, देशवाचक क्रियाविशेषण (locative adverb)

• jambūnadī: the Jambū river
• jambūnadī: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: jambū + nadī (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन; समासः षष्ठी-तत्पुरुषः (जम्बोः नदी)

• iti: thus/called
• iti: Sambandha (Quotation marker/इति)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: iti (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय, इति-शब्दः (quotative particle)

• vai: indeed
• vai: Sambandha (Discourse particle/निपात)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: vai (अव्यय)
• Form: निपात (particle/emphasis)

• sarit: river/stream
• sarit: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: sarit (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन

• pravartate: flows/comes forth
• pravartate: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: pra + vṛt (धातु)
• Form: लट्-लकार (Present), आत्मनेपद, प्रथमपुरुष, एकवचन

• sā: it/she (that river)
• sā: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: tad (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन; सर्वनाम

• ca: and
• ca: Sambandha (Connector/समुच्चय)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: ca (अव्यय)
• Form: समुच्चयबोधक अव्यय (conjunction)

• pīyate: is drunk
• pīyate: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: pā (धातु)
• Form: लट्-लकार (Present), कर्मणि-प्रयोग (Passive), प्रथमपुरुष, एकवचन

• tatnivāsibhiḥ: by the inhabitants there
• tatnivāsibhiḥ: Karta (Agent in passive/कर्तृ)
• Type: Noun
• Root: tad + nivāsin (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, तृतीया (3rd/Instrumental), बहुवचन; समासः तत्पुरुषः (तत्र निवासिनः/तस्य निवासिनः)

Speaker

Sage Parāśara (narrating to Maitreya)

Parashara-Maitreya Dialogue

Speaker: Parasara

Topic: How the Jambū fruit’s essence becomes a famed river and sustains inhabitants

Teaching: Cosmological

Quality: revealing

Cosmological Context

Cosmic Hierarchy: Dvipas

Vaishnava Theology

Vishnu Form: Narayana

Characters & Entities

• Parāśara
• Maitreya
• Jambūnadī
• Jambūdvīpa

FAQs

What is the significance of the Jambūnadī in the Vishnu Purana?

This verse presents the Jambūnadī as a famed, life-sustaining river of Jambūdvīpa, distinguished by its “rasa” (essence/sap) and directly supporting the inhabitants who drink its waters.

How does Sage Parāśara explain sacred geography in this chapter?

Parāśara describes cosmic geography through concrete features—rivers, regions, and their qualities—showing how ordered landscapes nourish beings; the Jambūnadī is cited as a celebrated river whose very nature (rasa) marks the land’s character.

The theological importance of Lord Vishnu in this context?

Even in geographic narration, the Purāṇa implies a Vishnu-centered cosmos: the world’s structure and sustaining waters operate within a divinely governed order, reflecting Vishnu’s sovereignty over creation and maintenance.