Shloka 12
सप्तद्वीप-समुद्र-प्रमाणम्: प्लक्षादि-द्वीपवर्णनं, लोकालोक-सीमा, चन्द्र-समुद्र-वृद्धिक्षयः
एते शैलास् तथा नद्यः प्रधानाः कथितास् तव क्षुद्रनद्यस् तथा शैलास् तत्र सन्ति सहस्रशः ताः पिबन्ति सदा हृष्टा नदीर् जनपदास् तु ते
ete śailās tathā nadyaḥ pradhānāḥ kathitās tava kṣudranadyas tathā śailās tatra santi sahasraśaḥ tāḥ pibanti sadā hṛṣṭā nadīr janapadās tu te
Thus I have declared to you the principal mountains and the great rivers. Yet in that same land there exist, by the thousand, lesser streams and lesser ranges; and the realms and their peoples, ever gladdened, continually drink of those rivers.
Sage Parāśara (speaking to Maitreya)
Speaker: Parasara
Topic: Completion of the account of principal mountains/rivers and acknowledgment of innumerable minor features sustaining the janapadas
Teaching: Cosmological
Quality: compassionate
Cosmic Hierarchy: Dvipas
Concept: The earth’s ordered abundance—mountains and rivers—supports society, implying gratitude and dhārmic stewardship of the land and waters.
Vedantic Theme: Dharma
Application: Cultivate reverence for rivers and landscapes through restraint, protection of water sources, and offering thanks in daily practice.
Vishishtadvaita: The world is a meaningful, ordered body of the Lord, fit for dhārmic living rather than a mere illusion to be despised.
FAQs
They are not merely scenery: they are the structured supports of life in Jambudvipa, showing an ordered world where waters nourish peoples and realms.
He distinguishes the major, named features from countless minor rivers and ranges, emphasizing both comprehensiveness and the vastness of the created order.
Even when Vishnu is not named, the Purana frames the world’s sustaining systems—like life-giving rivers—as expressions of the Supreme Sustainer’s governance and order.