Shloka 45
तत्प्रमाणेन स द्वीपो घृतोदेन समावृतः घृतोदश् च समुद्रो वै क्रौञ्चद्वीपेन संवृतः
tatpramāṇena sa dvīpo ghṛtodena samāvṛtaḥ ghṛtodaś ca samudro vai krauñcadvīpena saṃvṛtaḥ
By that very measure, the continent is encircled by the ocean of Ghṛtoda (clarified butter); and that ghee-ocean, in turn, is surrounded by the continent called Krauñca-dvīpa.
Sage Parāśara (teaching Maitreya)
Speaker: Parasara
Topic: Concentric dvīpa-ocean arrangement: Kuśa-dvīpa encircled by Ghṛtoda ocean, which is surrounded by Krauñca-dvīpa.
Teaching: Cosmological
Quality: authoritative
Cosmic Hierarchy: Dvipas
Concept: Bhū-maṇḍala is presented as a measured, concentric system where each dvīpa is proportionally bounded by a corresponding ocean, reflecting lawful cosmic design.
Vedantic Theme: Dharma
Application: Use the image of concentric boundaries as a meditation on proportion—balance senses, duties, and devotion within clear limits.
Vishishtadvaita: A structured, purposive cosmos coheres with Viśiṣṭādvaita’s view of the world as a real, ordered manifestation dependent on Nārāyaṇa.
Vishnu Form: Narayana
FAQs
It is one of the concentric encircling oceans used to map the Purāṇic world-system, expressing a cosmos arranged in measured, repeating order.
He presents them as successive rings: a dvīpa is surrounded by a specific ocean, and that ocean is again enclosed by the next dvīpa, each described “according to that measure.”
Even in geographic description, the text implies a governed cosmos—an ordered universe ultimately sustained by Vishnu’s sovereign, preserving power.