Shloka 45
भू-मण्डलसंक्षेपवर्णनम् — सप्तद्वीप-सप्तसमुद्राः, मेरु-मानम्, गङ्गावतरणम्, देववन-सरोवर-लोकपालपुर्यः
मेरोश् चतुर्दिशं ये तु प्रोक्ताः केसरपर्वताः शीताद्याश् च मुने तेषाम् अतीव हि मनोरमाः शैलानाम् अन्तरद्रोण्यः सिद्धचारणसेविताः
meroś caturdiśaṃ ye tu proktāḥ kesaraparvatāḥ śītādyāś ca mune teṣām atīva hi manoramāḥ śailānām antaradroṇyaḥ siddhacāraṇasevitāḥ
O sage, the mountains called the ‘Kesaras’ that encircle Meru on all four sides—beginning with Śīta—have exceedingly lovely valleys between their ranges, frequented and attended by Siddhas and Cāraṇas.
Sage Parāśara (speaking to Maitreya)
Speaker: Parasara
Topic: The Kesaraparvatas around Meru and the nature of their valleys
Teaching: Cosmological
Quality: revealing
Cosmic Hierarchy: Lokas
FAQs
They mark the ordered, four-directional structure of the world around Meru, showing a cosmos arranged with symmetry and hierarchy in Purāṇic geography.
He presents the inner valleys of the Meru-adjacent ranges as refined, auspicious realms naturally suited to perfected beings (Siddhas) and celestial bards (Cāraṇas), indicating a gradation of purity in the world.
Even when Vishnu is not named directly, the Purāṇa’s cosmology functions as a map of divine governance—an intelligible, harmonious universe that ultimately rests on Vishnu as the supreme sustaining reality.