Shloka 8

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

Devanagari script

चतुरशीतिसाहस्रो योजनैर् अस्य चोच्छ्रयः

Transliteration

caturaśītisāhasro yojanair asya cocchrayaḥ

Translation

Its height, measured in yojanas, is eighty-four thousand—so it is proclaimed in the account of the world’s ordered design.

Word by Word

• चतुरशीतिसाहस्रः: eighty-four thousand (in number)
• चतुरशीतिसाहस्रः: Visheshana (Adjectival modifier)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: चतुरशीति (प्रातिपदिक) + साहस्र (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), एकवचन; द्विगुसमासः (संख्यापूर्वकः)

• योजनैः: by yojanas (as a measure)
• योजनैः: Karana (Instrument/measure)
• Type: Noun
• Root: योजन (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, तृतीया (3rd/Instrumental), बहुवचन

• अस्य: of this / its
• अस्य: Sambandha (Genitive relation)
• Type: Noun
• Root: इदम् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग/नपुंसकलिङ्ग, षष्ठी (6th/Genitive), एकवचन

• च: and
• च: Samuccaya (Connector)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: च (अव्यय)
• Form: समुच्चयार्थक-निपात (conjunction)

• उच्छ्रयः: height
• उच्छ्रयः: Karta (Subject)
• Type: Noun
• Root: उच्छ्रय (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), एकवचन

Speaker

Sage Parāśara (teaching Maitreya)

Parashara-Maitreya Dialogue

Speaker: Parasara

Topic: Structure and measurements of the earth’s ordered divisions (bhū-maṇḍala), especially the central mountain and its dimensions

Teaching: Cosmological

Quality: authoritative

Cosmological Context

Cosmic Hierarchy: Varshas

Characters & Entities

• Mount Meru

FAQs

What is the significance of stating '84,000 yojanas' in the Vishnu Purana?

It anchors the Purana’s cosmology in a precise sacred-geographical scale, presenting the universe as an ordered realm governed by higher law rather than randomness.

How does Sage Parāśara explain cosmic structure to Maitreya in this section?

Parāśara narrates the world-system by listing regions and their dimensions, using traditional measures like the yojana to convey a coherent, hierarchical cosmic design.

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

Even when describing measurements, the text implies a universe sustained by a supreme ordering principle—Vishnu—whose sovereignty underlies the stability and intelligibility of the cosmos.