Shloka 5

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

Devanagari script

जम्बूप्लक्षाह्वयौ द्वीपौ शाल्मलश् चापरो द्विज कुशः क्रौञ्चस् तथा शाकः पुष्करश् चैव सप्तमः

Transliteration

jambūplakṣāhvayau dvīpau śālmalaś cāparo dvija kuśaḥ krauñcas tathā śākaḥ puṣkaraś caiva saptamaḥ

Translation

“Jambū and Plakṣa are the (first) island-continents; Śālmala is another, O twice-born. Then come Kuśa and Krauñca, and likewise Śāka—while Puṣkara is indeed the seventh.”

Word by Word

• jambūplakṣāhvayau: named Jambū and Plakṣa
• jambūplakṣāhvayau: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: jambū (प्रातिपदिक) + plakṣa (प्रातिपदिक) + āhvaya (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुल्लिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st), द्विवचन; बहुपद-तत्पुरुष (नामधेयवाचक): ‘जम्बू- तथा प्लक्ष-आह्वय’ = called Jambū and Plakṣa; ‘द्वीपौ’ इत्यस्य विशेषणम्

• dvīpau: two islands
• dvīpau: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: dvīpa (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुल्लिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st), द्विवचन

• śālmalaḥ: Śālmala (island)
• śālmalaḥ: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: śālmala (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुल्लिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st), एकवचन

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

• aparaḥ: another; the next
• aparaḥ: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: apara (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुल्लिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st), एकवचन; ‘शाल्मलः’ इत्यस्य विशेषणम् (another)

• dvija: O twice-born
• dvija: Sambodhana (Address/सम्बोधन)
• Type: Noun
• Root: dvija (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुल्लिङ्ग, सम्बोधन (8th), एकवचन

• kuśaḥ: Kuśa (island)
• kuśaḥ: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: kuśa (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुल्लिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st), एकवचन

• krauñcaḥ: Krauñca (island)
• krauñcaḥ: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: krauñca (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुल्लिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st), एकवचन

• tathā: and also; likewise
• tathā: Sambandha (Connector/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: tathā (अव्यय)
• Form: समुच्चय/अनुक्रमबोधक-अव्यय (also/likewise)

• śākaḥ: Śāka (island)
• śākaḥ: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: śāka (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुल्लिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st), एकवचन

• puṣkaraḥ: Puṣkara (island)
• puṣkaraḥ: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: puṣkara (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुल्लिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st), एकवचन

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

• eva: indeed; just
• eva: Sambandha (Particle/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: eva (अव्यय)
• Form: अवधारणार्थक-अव्यय (emphasis)

• saptamaḥ: the seventh
• saptamaḥ: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: saptama (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुल्लिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st), एकवचन; क्रमवाचक-विशेषण (ordinal)

Speaker

Sage Parāśara (teaching Maitreya)

Parashara-Maitreya Dialogue

Speaker: Parasara

Topic: Enumeration of the seven dvīpas (island-continents) in bhuvana-kośa

Teaching: Cosmological

Quality: authoritative, cataloguing

Cosmological Context

Cosmic Hierarchy: Dvipas

Philosophical Teaching

Concept: The inhabited world is structured as seven concentric dvīpas, each a distinct zone within the ordered cosmos.

Vedantic Theme: Dharma

Application: Contemplate cosmic order as a support for inner order—discipline the mind by reflecting on structured teaching rather than chaos.

Vishishtadvaita: Cosmic plurality (many dvīpas) coheres within a single divinely ordered whole, consistent with real diversity grounded in one Supreme.

Vaishnava Theology

Vishnu Form: Narayana

Bhakti Type: shanta

Characters & Entities

• Parāśara
• Maitreya
• Jambū-dvīpa
• Plakṣa-dvīpa
• Śālmala-dvīpa
• Kuśa-dvīpa
• Krauñca-dvīpa
• Śāka-dvīpa
• Puṣkara-dvīpa

FAQs

What is the significance of the seven dvīpas in the Vishnu Purana?

They map the Purāṇic world-system (Bhū-maṇḍala) as a divinely ordered cosmos, presenting creation as structured and governed under the supreme sovereignty of Vishnu.

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

He teaches Maitreya through a systematic enumeration—naming the dvīpas in sequence—so the listener can grasp cosmic order as a coherent, intelligible design.

What is the theological importance of Lord Vishnu in this cosmological listing?

Even when Vishnu is not named in the verse, the Purāṇa’s cosmology functions as a theology of order: the world’s divisions and harmony imply a supreme regulator—Vishnu as the sustaining reality behind the cosmos.