Shloka 21

सप्तद्वीप-समुद्र-प्रमाणम्: प्लक्षादि-द्वीपवर्णनं, लोकालोक-सीमा, चन्द्र-समुद्र-वृद्धिक्षयः

Devanagari script

इत्य् एष तव मैत्रेय प्लक्षद्वीप उदाहृतः संक्षेपेण मया भूयः शाल्मलं मे निशामय

Transliteration

ity eṣa tava maitreya plakṣadvīpa udāhṛtaḥ saṃkṣepeṇa mayā bhūyaḥ śālmalaṃ me niśāmaya

Translation

Thus, O Maitreya, I have succinctly described to you the Plakṣa continent. Now listen again, as I in turn relate to you Śālmala-dvīpa.

Word by Word

• इति: thus
• इति: Sambandha (Discourse marker/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: इति (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; वाक्यसमाप्तिसूचक/उद्धरणसूचक (quotative/iti-marker)

• एषः: this (one/thing)
• एषः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: एतद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), एकवचन; सर्वनाम (pronoun)

• तव: of you/your
• तव: Sambandha (Possessor/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: युष्मद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: षष्ठी (6th/Genitive), एकवचन; सर्वनाम

• मैत्रेय: O Maitreya
• मैत्रेय: Sambodhana (Address/सम्बोधन)
• Type: Noun
• Root: मैत्रेय (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, सम्बोधन (8th/Vocative), एकवचन

• प्लक्षद्वीपः: Plakṣa-dvīpa (the Plakṣa island-continent)
• प्लक्षद्वीपः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: प्लक्ष + द्वीप (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), एकवचन; षष्ठी-तत्पुरुषः (plakṣasya dvīpaḥ)

• उदाहृतः: has been described
• उदाहृतः: Kriya (Predicate/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: उद्-आ-√हृ (धातु) + क्त (कृदन्त)
• Form: भूतकर्मणि कृदन्त (past passive participle/क्त); पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन; कर्मणि प्रयोगे ‘has been described/mentioned’

• संक्षेपेण: briefly/in summary
• संक्षेपेण: Karana (Instrument/means/करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: संक्षेप (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, तृतीया (3rd/Instrumental), एकवचन; क्रियाविशेषणार्थे (adverbial instrumental)

• मया: by me
• मया: Kartr-karana (Agent expressed instrumentally/कर्ता-करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: अस्मद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: तृतीया (3rd/Instrumental), एकवचन; सर्वनाम

• भूयः: further/again
• भूयः: Kriya-visheshana (Adverbial/क्रियाविशेषण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: भूयस् (अव्यय/निपात)
• Form: अव्यय; पुनरर्थक/अधिक्यार्थक (again/further)

• शाल्मलम्: Śālmala (Śālmala-dvīpa)
• शाल्मलम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: शाल्मल (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd/Accusative), एकवचन

• मे: my/to me
• मे: Sambandha (Possessor/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: अस्मद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: षष्ठी (6th/Genitive), एकवचन; सर्वनाम

• निशामय: listen/attend (to it)
• निशामय: Kriya (Predicate/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: नि-√शम् (धातु)
• Form: लोट् (Imperative), मध्यमपुरुष (2nd person), एकवचन; परस्मैपद

Speaker

Sage Parāśara

Parashara-Maitreya Dialogue

Speaker: Parasara

Topic: Sacred geography and cosmography of the dvīpas (Plakṣa and onward).

Teaching: Cosmological

Quality: authoritative

Cosmological Context

Cosmic Hierarchy: Dvipas

Philosophical Teaching

Concept: The sage transmits cosmographic knowledge in a disciplined sequence, moving from one dvīpa to the next.

Vedantic Theme: Dharma

Application: Cultivate śravaṇa (attentive listening) and systematic study when approaching śāstra.

Vishishtadvaita: Śāstra is a reliable pramāṇa revealing the Lord’s ordered universe (niyati) as His body (śarīra).

Characters & Entities

• Maitreya
• Plakṣadvīpa
• Śālmala-dvīpa

FAQs

What is the significance of Plakṣadvīpa in the Vishnu Purana?

This verse closes Parāśara’s concise account of Plakṣadvīpa, marking it as one of the structured regions of the cosmos presented as part of Vishnu-governed universal order.

How does Sage Parāśara explain the cosmological sections to Maitreya?

He proceeds sequentially—describing each dvīpa in turn—using brief summaries and clear transitions, as seen here when he moves from Plakṣadvīpa to Śālmala-dvīpa.

The theological importance of Lord Vishnu in this context?

Even when Vishnu is not named in the verse, the ordered mapping of continents and realms functions as a theological statement: the cosmos is intelligible and sustained within Vishnu’s supreme governance.