Shloka 20
सप्तद्वीप-समुद्र-प्रमाणम्: प्लक्षादि-द्वीपवर्णनं, लोकालोक-सीमा, चन्द्र-समुद्र-वृद्धिक्षयः
प्लक्षद्वीपप्रमाणेन प्लक्षद्वीपः समावृतः तथैवेक्षुरसोदेन परिवेषानुकारिणा
plakṣadvīpapramāṇena plakṣadvīpaḥ samāvṛtaḥ tathaivekṣurasodena pariveṣānukāriṇā
Encircled in measure equal to the continent of Plakṣa itself, Plakṣa-dvīpa is surrounded—likewise—by an ocean of sugarcane-juice, forming a ring around it like a halo.
Sage Parāśara (teaching Maitreya)
Speaker: Parasara
Topic: The measure and encircling ocean of Plakṣadvīpa (sugarcane-juice sea) and its ring-like arrangement
Teaching: Cosmological
Quality: precise and descriptive
Cosmic Hierarchy: Dvipas
FAQs
It marks the ordered, tiered structure of Purāṇic geography, where each dvīpa is encircled by a distinct ocean, expressing a cosmos governed by precise measure and divine law.
He describes each continent as being ringed by an ocean of equal breadth, forming successive concentric ‘halos’ (pariveṣa) that map the world as a measured, intelligible cosmic system.
Even in geographic description, the Purāṇa implies Vishnu’s sovereignty: the universe is not random but proportioned and sustained by a supreme ordering reality.