Shloka 55

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

Devanagari script

सर्वेष्व् एतेषु वर्षेषु सप्त सप्त कुलाचलाः नद्यश् च शतशस् तेभ्यः प्रसूता या द्विजोत्तम

Transliteration

sarveṣv eteṣu varṣeṣu sapta sapta kulācalāḥ nadyaś ca śataśas tebhyaḥ prasūtā yā dvijottama

Translation

In each of all these regions (varṣas), O best of the twice-born, there are seven and seven principal mountain-ranges; and from them arise rivers—by the hundreds—flowing forth.

Word by Word

• sarveṣu: in all
• sarveṣu: Adhikarana (Locative/अधिकरण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: sarva (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुं/नपुं, सप्तमी (Locative/7th), बहुवचन; विशेषण

• eteṣu: in these
• eteṣu: Adhikarana (Locative/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: etad (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: सर्वनाम, पुं/नपुं, सप्तमी, बहुवचन

• varṣeṣu: in the regions (varṣas)
• varṣeṣu: Adhikarana (Locative/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: varṣa (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, सप्तमी (Locative/7th), बहुवचन

• sapta: seven
• sapta: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: sapta (प्रातिपदिक/संख्या)
• Form: संख्यावाचक (numeral), अव्ययवत् प्रयोग (indeclinable-like numeral)

• sapta: seven
• sapta: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: sapta (प्रातिपदिक/संख्या)
• Form: संख्यावाचक, अव्ययवत् प्रयोग

• kulācalāḥ: principal mountains
• kulācalāḥ: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: kula (प्रातिपदिक) + acala (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: समासः: कुल-अचल (षष्ठी-तत्पुरुष/निर्धारण), पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (Nominative/1st), बहुवचन

• nadyaḥ: rivers
• nadyaḥ: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: nadī (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (Nominative/1st), बहुवचन

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

• śataśaḥ: by hundreds
• śataśaḥ: Sambandha (Adverbial/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: śataśas (अव्यय)
• Form: प्रकार/परिमाणवाचक-अव्यय (distributive adverb: 'by hundreds')

• tebhyaḥ: from them
• tebhyaḥ: Apadana (Source/अपादान)
• Type: Noun
• Root: tad (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: सर्वनाम, पुं/नपुं, पञ्चमी (Ablative/5th), बहुवचन

• prasūtāḥ: born/produced
• prasūtāḥ: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Verb
• Root: pra-sū (धातु)
• Form: कृदन्त: भूतकर्मणि/भूतकृदन्त (past passive participle), स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, बहुवचन

• yāḥ: which
• yāḥ: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: yad (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: सर्वनाम, स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, बहुवचन (relative pronoun)

• dvijottama: O best of the twice-born
• dvijottama: Sambodhana (Address/सम्बोधन)
• Type: Noun
• Root: dvija (प्रातिपदिक) + uttama (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: समासः: द्विज-उत्तम (कर्मधारय), पुंलिङ्ग, सम्बोधन (Vocative/8th), एकवचन

Speaker

Sage Parāśara (speaking to Maitreya)

Parashara-Maitreya Dialogue

Speaker: Parasara

Topic: Structural features common to the varṣas: kula-mountains and river-systems

Teaching: Cosmological

Quality: systematic

Cosmological Context

Cosmic Hierarchy: Varshas (regions)

Philosophical Teaching

Concept: Cosmic order is expressed through repeating patterns—mountain ranges and river networks—by which lands are sustained and differentiated.

Vedantic Theme: Dharma

Application: See ecology and geography as part of dharmic order; cultivate gratitude and stewardship toward waters and mountains.

Vishishtadvaita: The world’s structured plurality (mountains, rivers, regions) is a real, meaningful body of the Lord—ordered for the welfare of beings.

Vaishnava Theology

Vishnu Form: Narayana

Bhakti Type: Shanta

Jagat Karana: Yes

Characters & Entities

• Parāśara
• Maitreya
• Kulācala (mountain ranges)
• Nadī (rivers)
• Varṣa (regions of Jambūdvīpa)

FAQs

What is the significance of mountains and rivers in Vishnu Purana cosmology?

This verse presents mountains and rivers as the organizing framework of each varṣa: mountains form the defining ranges, and rivers arise from them in great numbers to sustain the lands—reflecting an ordered cosmos.

How does Sage Parāśara explain the structure of the varṣas to Maitreya?

Parāśara explains each varṣa through repeating natural patterns—fixed sets of principal mountain ranges and numerous rivers—so Maitreya can understand the world as systematically arranged rather than random.

What is the theological importance of Lord Vishnu in this geographic description?

Even when the verse focuses on geography, the Purāṇic intent is that such stable order—mountain boundaries and life-giving rivers—exists under Vishnu’s supreme governance, making cosmic structure a sign of divine sovereignty.