Shloka 22
शाल्मलस्येश्वरो वीरो वपुष्मांस् तत्सुताञ् छृणु येषां तु नामसंज्ञानि सप्त वर्षाणि तानि वै
śālmalasyeśvaro vīro vapuṣmāṃs tatsutāñ chṛṇu yeṣāṃ tu nāmasaṃjñāni sapta varṣāṇi tāni vai
The sovereign of Śālmaladvīpa is the heroic and radiant Vapuṣmān. Now hear of his sons, after whose very names the seven varṣas there are known.
Sage Parāśara (speaking to Maitreya)
Speaker: Parasara
Topic: Who rules Śālmaladvīpa and how its seven varṣas are named.
Teaching: Cosmological
Quality: authoritative
Cosmic Hierarchy: Dvipas
Concept: Cosmic geography is organized through rulers and eponymous divisions, indicating a principled order (niyama) in the world-structure.
Vedantic Theme: Dharma
Application: See governance and naming conventions as reflections of order; practice clarity and precision when learning sacred cosmology.
Vishishtadvaita: World-order (loka-vyavasthā) is intelligible because it is sustained by the Supreme’s inner governance, even when not explicitly named.
FAQs
Śālmaladvīpa is one of the concentric dvīpas described in the Purāṇic map of the world, illustrating ordered cosmic geography where each dvīpa has a ruler and distinct regions (varṣas).
Parāśara states that Vapuṣmān’s sons give their names to the seven varṣas of Śālmaladvīpa, showing how dynastic figures function as eponymous markers in Purāṇic geography.
Even when speaking of geography and kings, the Vishnu Purana frames the cosmos as structured and sustained by supreme sovereignty—ultimately grounded in Vishnu as the ordering reality behind cosmic administration.