Shloka 47

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

Devanagari script

गन्धर्वयक्षरक्षांसि तथा दैतेयदानवाः क्रीडन्ति तासु रम्यासु शैलद्रोणीष्व् अहर्निशम्

Transliteration

gandharvayakṣarakṣāṃsi tathā daiteyadānavāḥ krīḍanti tāsu ramyāsu śailadroṇīṣv aharniśam

Translation

In those lovely mountain valleys, Gandharvas, Yakṣas, and Rākṣasas—along with Daityas and Dānavas—sport and wander unceasingly, day and night.

Word by Word

• गन्धर्व-यक्ष-रक्षांसि: Gandharvas, Yakṣas, and Rākṣasas
• गन्धर्व-यक्ष-रक्षांसि: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: गन्धर्व (प्रातिपदिक) + यक्ष (प्रातिपदिक) + रक्षस् (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्गे प्रथमा (1st), बहुवचनम्; इतरेतर-द्वन्द्वः (समाहारार्थे)

• तथा: also
• तथा: Sambandha (Connector/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: तथा (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; समुच्चय/सादृश्यार्थक (also)

• दैतेय-दानवाः: Daityas and Dānavas
• दैतेय-दानवाः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: दैतेय (प्रातिपदिक) + दानव (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्गे प्रथमा (1st), बहुवचनम्; इतरेतर-द्वन्द्वः

• क्रीडन्ति: play/sport
• क्रीडन्ति: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: √क्रीड् (धातु)
• Form: लट्-लकारः (Present), प्रथमपुरुषः (3rd), बहुवचनम्; परस्मैपदम्

• तासु: in them
• तासु: Adhikarana (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: तद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्गे सप्तमी (7th), बहुवचनम्

• रम्यासु: delightful
• रम्यासु: Visheshana (Adjectival modifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: रम्य (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्गे सप्तमी (7th), बहुवचनम्; विशेषणम्

• शैल-द्रोणीषु: in the mountain-valleys
• शैल-द्रोणीषु: Adhikarana (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: शैल (प्रातिपदिक) + द्रोणी (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्गे सप्तमी (7th), बहुवचनम्; समासः—शैलानां द्रोणीषु (षष्ठी-तत्पुरुष)

• अहर्निशम्: day and night
• अहर्निशम्: Kala-adhikarana (Time/काल-अधिकरण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: अहन् (प्रातिपदिक) + निशा (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: अव्ययीभाव-समासः; अव्ययवत् प्रयोगः (adverb: day and night)

Speaker

Sage Parāśara (teaching Maitreya)

Parashara-Maitreya Dialogue

Speaker: Parasara

Topic: Beings inhabiting the delightful mountain valleys around Meru

Teaching: Cosmological

Quality: authoritative

Cosmological Context

Cosmic Hierarchy: Lokas

Vaishnava Theology

Vishnu Form: Narayana

Characters & Entities

• Gandharvas
• Yakṣas
• Rākṣasas
• Daityas
• Dānavas

FAQs

What is the significance of Gandharvas, Yakṣas, and Rākṣasas in the Vishnu Purana’s cosmic geography?

This verse places multiple classes of beings within specific landscapes (mountain-valleys), showing that the Purāṇic cosmos is a populated, ordered system where each realm has its appropriate inhabitants.

How does Sage Parāśara explain the world’s structure in this chapter?

Parāśara describes regions and terrains and then identifies the beings who dwell and move there, presenting geography as a living cosmological map rather than mere physical description.

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

Even when Viṣṇu is not named in the verse, the narrative framework treats the cosmos—including asuras and celestial beings—as operating within the supreme, sustaining sovereignty of Viṣṇu.