Shloka 41

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

Devanagari script

गन्धमादनकैलासौ पूर्वपश्चायताव् उभौ अशीतियोजनायामाव् अर्णवान्तर्व्यवस्थितौ

Transliteration

gandhamādanakailāsau pūrvapaścāyatāv ubhau aśītiyojanāyāmāv arṇavāntarvyavasthitau

Translation

Gandhamādana and Kailāsa—both stretching from east to west—stand within the ocean, each extending for eighty yojanas.

Word by Word

• गन्धमादन: Gandhamādana (mountain)
• गन्धमादन: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: गन्धमादन (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति (Nominative), एकवचन (Singular); समासः—तत्पुरुषः (गन्ध + मादन)

• कैलासौ: (the two:) Kailāsa (and ...)
• कैलासौ: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: कैलास (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति (Nominative), द्विवचन (Dual)

• पूर्व: eastern
• पूर्व: Sambandha (Qualifier)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: पूर्व (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति (Nominative), एकवचन (Singular); (समासपूर्वपदत्वेन)

• पश्च: west(ern)
• पश्च: Sambandha (Qualifier)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: पश्च (अव्यय/दिक्शब्द)
• Form: दिक्-अव्यय (directional indeclinable: 'west')

• आयतौ: extended
• आयतौ: Karta (Predicate adjective)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: आयत (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति (Nominative), द्विवचन (Dual); विशेषणम्

• उभौ: both
• उभौ: Karta (Apposition)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: उभ (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति (Nominative), द्विवचन (Dual); विशेषणम्

• अशीतिः: eighty
• अशीतिः: Sambandha (Numeral qualifier)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: अशीति (संख्या-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति (Nominative), एकवचन (Singular); संख्यावाचक विशेषणम्

• योजन: yojana (measure)
• योजन: Sambandha (Measure qualifier)
• Type: Noun
• Root: योजन (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति (Nominative), एकवचन (Singular); (समासपूर्वपदत्वेन)

• आयामौ: (having) length/extent
• आयामौ: Karta (Predicate nominal)
• Type: Noun
• Root: आयाम (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति (Nominative), द्विवचन (Dual)

• अर्णव: ocean
• अर्णव: Sambandha (Qualifier)
• Type: Noun
• Root: अर्णव (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, षष्ठी-तत्पुरुषार्थे पूर्वपद (as prior member)

• अन्तर्: within/between
• अन्तर्: Adhikarana (Locative sense)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: अन्तर् (अव्यय/उपपद)
• Form: उपपद/अव्यय (in-between/within)

• व्यवस्थितौ: situated/placed
• व्यवस्थितौ: Karta (Predicate adjective)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: वि + अव + √स्था (धातु) → व्यवस्थित (कृदन्त-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: भूतकृदन्त (past participle), पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति (Nominative), द्विवचन (Dual)

Speaker

Sage Parāśara (speaking to Maitreya)

Parashara-Maitreya Dialogue

Speaker: Parasara

Topic: Placement, direction, and measured extent (yojana) of major mountain ranges within the oceanic expanse

Teaching: Cosmological

Quality: revealing

Cosmological Context

Cosmic Hierarchy: Lokas

Philosophical Teaching

Concept: Even the seemingly boundless oceanic spaces are structured by measured, stable supports—signs of a governed cosmos.

Vedantic Theme: Dharma

Application: Let ‘measure’ (pramāṇa) and steadiness guide spiritual life: regular practice, clear boundaries, and stable supports.

Vishishtadvaita: The world’s measurable order is a real expression of the Lord’s sovereignty—creation as meaningful, not illusory chaos.

Vaishnava Theology

Vishnu Form: Narayana

Characters & Entities

• Parāśara
• Maitreya
• Gandhamādana
• Kailāsa
• Arṇava (Ocean)

FAQs

What is the significance of Gandhamādana and Kailāsa in the Vishnu Purana’s cosmology?

They function as key mountain ranges in the ordered layout of the world, described with specific orientation (east–west) and measure, reinforcing that the cosmos is structured rather than random.

How does Sage Parāśara explain cosmic geography to Maitreya in this passage?

He presents a precise, enumerative description—names, orientation, and dimensions—showing sacred geography as a knowable system within Purāṇic cosmology.

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

Even when not named directly, the cosmographic order implies a sustaining Supreme principle; in the Vishnu Purana that sustaining reality is Vishnu, the ground of stability behind the world’s measured structure.