Shloka 16

भारतवर्षमहात्म्यम् — कर्मभूमित्वम्, नवभेदाः, कुलपर्वताः-नद्यः-जनपदाः, युगचक्रविशेषः, यज्ञपुरुषविष्णुपूजा

Devanagari script

पुण्ड्राः कलिङ्गा मगधा दाक्षिणाद्याश् च कृत्स्नशः तथापरान्ताः सौराष्ट्राः शूराभीरास् तथार्बुदाः

Transliteration

puṇḍrāḥ kaliṅgā magadhā dākṣiṇādyāś ca kṛtsnaśaḥ tathāparāntāḥ saurāṣṭrāḥ śūrābhīrās tathārbudāḥ

Translation

There are the Puṇḍras, the Kaliṅgas, and the Magadhas; and likewise all the southern peoples in their entirety—also the Aparāntas, the Saurāṣṭras, the Śūras and Ābhīras, and the people of Arbuda. Thus are the realms of Bhārata-varṣa recounted in order.

Word by Word

• पुण्ड्राः: Puṇḍras
• पुण्ड्राः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: पुण्ड्र (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति (1st/Nominative), बहुवचन; जनपद-नाम

• कलिङ्गाः: Kaliṅgas
• कलिङ्गाः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: कलिङ्ग (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति (1st/Nominative), बहुवचन; जनपद-नाम

• मगधाः: Magadhas
• मगधाः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: मगध (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति (1st/Nominative), बहुवचन; जनपद-नाम

• दाक्षिण: southern (peoples)
• दाक्षिण: Viśeṣaṇa (Adjectival modifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: दाक्षिण (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति (1st/Nominative), बहुवचन (आद्याः-सम्बद्ध); ‘southern’

• आद्याः: and others
• आद्याः: Viśeṣaṇa (Adjectival modifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: आदि (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति (1st/Nominative), बहुवचन; ‘and others’

• च: and
• च: Samuccaya (Coordination/समुच्चय)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: च (अव्यय)
• Form: समुच्चय-अव्यय (conjunction)

• कृत्स्नशः: entirely; in full
• कृत्स्नशः: Kriyāviśeṣaṇa (Adverbial/क्रियाविशेषण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: कृत्स्नशस् (अव्यय)
• Form: प्रकार-अव्यय (adverb: wholly/entirely)

• तथा: also/likewise
• तथा: Samuccaya (Coordination/समुच्चय)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: तथा (अव्यय)
• Form: समुच्चय/उपमान-अव्यय (also/likewise)

• अपरान्ताः: Aparāntas
• अपरान्ताः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: अपरान्त (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति (1st/Nominative), बहुवचन; जनपद-नाम

• सौराष्ट्राः: Saurāṣṭras
• सौराष्ट्राः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: सौराष्ट्र (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति (1st/Nominative), बहुवचन; जनपद-नाम

• शूर: Śūras
• शूर: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: शूर (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति (1st/Nominative), बहुवचन (द्वन्द्व-पूर्वपद)

• आभीराः: Ābhīras
• आभीराः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: आभीर (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति (1st/Nominative), बहुवचन (द्वन्द्व-उत्तरपद)

• तथा: also
• तथा: Samuccaya (Coordination/समुच्चय)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: तथा (अव्यय)
• Form: समुच्चय-अव्यय (also)

• अर्बुदाः: Arbudas
• अर्बुदाः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: अर्बुद (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति (1st/Nominative), बहुवचन; जनपद-नाम

Speaker

Sage Parāśara (speaking to Maitreya)

Parashara-Maitreya Dialogue

Speaker: Parasara

Topic: Further listing of Bhārata-varṣa peoples (east/south/west)

Teaching: Cosmological

Quality: authoritative

Cosmological Context

Cosmic Hierarchy: Varshas (regions)

Vaishnava Theology

Vishnu Form: Hari (name)

Lakshmi Presence: Bhumi (earth)

Characters & Entities

• Parāśara
• Maitreya
• Puṇḍra
• Kaliṅga
• Magadha
• Aparānta
• Saurāṣṭra
• Ābhīra
• Arbuda
• Bhārata-varṣa

FAQs

What is the significance of listing regions like Puṇḍra, Kaliṅga, and Magadha in the Vishnu Purana?

This verse is part of the Purāṇa’s sacred geography, presenting Bhārata-varṣa as an ordered human realm with named peoples and territories—an expression of cosmic order as understood within Vishnu’s sustaining sovereignty.

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

Parāśara systematically catalogues lands and peoples as components of Bhārata-varṣa, embedding historical-cultural geography within a Purāṇic worldview where the world is intelligible, classified, and upheld by the divine order.

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

Even when the text appears purely descriptive, the underlying frame is that the world’s divisions—lands, peoples, and directions—are sustained within the Lord’s governance; geography becomes a map of a cosmos grounded in the Supreme Reality.