Shloka 29

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

Devanagari script

मेरोर् अनन्तराङ्गेषु जठरादिष्व् अवस्थिताः शङ्खकूटो ऽथ ऋषभो हंसो नागस् तथापरः कालञ्जनाद्याश् च तदा उत्तरे केसराचलाः

Transliteration

meror anantarāṅgeṣu jaṭharādiṣv avasthitāḥ śaṅkhakūṭo 'tha ṛṣabho haṃso nāgas tathāparaḥ kālañjanādyāś ca tadā uttare kesarācalāḥ

Translation

In the inner, adjoining ranges of Meru—beginning with Jaṭhara—stand the mountains Śaṅkhakūṭa, Ṛṣabha, Haṃsa, and Nāga; likewise Kālañjana and others. To the north are the Kesarācalas, forming ordered ramparts encircling Meru, the cosmic axis of the world.

Word by Word

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

• अनन्तराङ्गेषु: in the inner parts
• अनन्तराङ्गेषु: Adhikarana (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: अनन्तर + अङ्ग (प्रातिपदिक; समास)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, सप्तमी (7th/Locative), बहुवचन; षष्ठी-तत्पुरुष (अनन्तराणि अङ्गानि = inner parts)

• जठरादिषु: in (places) such as Jaṭhara etc.
• जठरादिषु: Adhikarana (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: जठर + आदि (प्रातिपदिक; समास)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, सप्तमी (7th/Locative), बहुवचन; तत्पुरुष (जठर-आदि-स्थानेषु)

• अवस्थिताः: situated/located
• अवस्थिताः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: अव + √स्था (धातु) → अवस्थित (कृदन्त)
• Form: भूतकृदन्त (क्त), पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), बहुवचन; विशेषण (पर्वतानाम्)

• शङ्खकूटः: Śaṅkhakūṭa (a mountain)
• शङ्खकूटः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: शङ्ख + कूट (प्रातिपदिक; समास)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), एकवचन; तत्पुरुष (शङ्खस्य कूटः)

• अथ: then
• अथ: Discourse marker (सम्बन्ध/अनुक्रम)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: अथ (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; अनुक्रम/समुच्चयार्थक (then/and then)

• ऋषभः: Ṛṣabha (a mountain)
• ऋषभः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: ऋषभ (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), एकवचन

• हंसः: Haṃsa (a mountain)
• हंसः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: हंस (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), एकवचन

• नागः: Nāga (a mountain)
• नागः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: नाग (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), एकवचन

• तथा: likewise
• तथा: Adverbial (क्रियाविशेषण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: तथा (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; प्रकारवाचक (in like manner)

• अपरः: another
• अपरः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: अपर (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), एकवचन; विशेषण (अन्यः)

• कालञ्जनाद्याः: Kālañjana and others
• कालञ्जनाद्याः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: कालञ्जन + आदि (प्रातिपदिक; समास)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), बहुवचन; तत्पुरुष (कालञ्जन-आदयः)

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

• तदा: then
• तदा: Temporal (कालाधिकरण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: तदा (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; कालवाचक (then/at that time)

• उत्तरे: northern
• उत्तरे: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: उत्तर (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), बहुवचन; विशेषण (केसराचलाः)

• केसराचलाः: the Kesarā mountains
• केसराचलाः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: केसर + अचल (प्रातिपदिक; समास)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), बहुवचन; कर्मधारय (केसर-समाः अचलाः / केसर-नामकाः अचलाः)

Speaker

Sage Parāśara (teaching Maitreya)

Parashara-Maitreya Dialogue

Speaker: Parasara

Topic: Sacred geography and the mountain-ramparts adjoining Meru

Teaching: Cosmological

Quality: authoritative

Cosmological Context

Cosmic Hierarchy: Lokas

Philosophical Teaching

Concept: The cosmos is presented as a deliberately ordered sacred architecture, with Meru as axis and its concentric mountain-ranges as stabilizing boundaries.

Vedantic Theme: Dharma

Application: Contemplate order and interdependence in nature as a support for steadiness (dhairya) and reverence in daily life.

Vishishtadvaita: Cosmic order is intelligible as the body (śarīra) of the Lord, whose governance makes the world a meaningful, structured whole.

Characters & Entities

• Meru
• Jaṭhara
• Śaṅkhakūṭa
• Ṛṣabha
• Haṃsa
• Nāga
• Kālañjana
• Kesarācalas

FAQs

What is the significance of Mount Meru’s surrounding mountain ranges in the Vishnu Purana?

They map the cosmos as an ordered structure: Meru is the central axis, and the named ranges form its supporting boundaries, expressing a universe arranged by divine law.

How does Sage Parāśara explain sacred geography to Maitreya here?

He teaches by enumeration—naming the mountain groups around Meru—so the listener can visualize the cosmic layout as a coherent, tiered world-system.

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

Even when Vishnu is not named in the verse, the Purāṇic world-order being described is understood as upheld by Vishnu as the supreme sustaining reality behind cosmic structure and stability.