Shloka 57
सप्तद्वीप-समुद्र-प्रमाणम्: प्लक्षादि-द्वीपवर्णनं, लोकालोक-सीमा, चन्द्र-समुद्र-वृद्धिक्षयः
क्रौञ्चद्वीपः समुद्रेण दधिमण्डोदकेन तु आवृतः सर्वतः क्रौञ्चद्वीपतुल्येन मानतः
krauñcadvīpaḥ samudreṇa dadhimaṇḍodakena tu āvṛtaḥ sarvataḥ krauñcadvīpatulyena mānataḥ
Krauñca-dvīpa is enclosed on every side by an ocean of dadhimaṇḍa-water, like whey from curds; and that surrounding sea is, in its measure, equal to Krauñca-dvīpa itself.
Sage Parāśara (teaching Maitreya)
Speaker: Parasara
Topic: Description of dvīpas, their encircling oceans, and proportional measures
Teaching: Cosmological
Quality: authoritative
Cosmic Hierarchy: Dvipas
Concept: The world is presented as a measured, intelligible order (niyati) with concentric dvīpas and corresponding oceans, inviting contemplation of cosmic harmony.
Vedantic Theme: Dharma
Application: Use the Purāṇic mapping as a contemplative aid: reflect on order, proportion, and dependence rather than literalism alone, cultivating humility and wonder.
Vishishtadvaita: Cosmic order is a mode of the Lord’s body (jagat as His śarīra), implying intelligible structure upheld by the indwelling ruler.
FAQs
It is part of the Purana’s concentric cosmography: each dvīpa is ringed by a distinct ocean, illustrating an ordered, structured universe governed by divine law.
He states a symmetry of scale: the ocean surrounding Krauñca-dvīpa is equal in extent to the dvīpa itself, reflecting a recurring proportional pattern in the description of the world.
Even when Vishnu is not named in the verse, the ordered arrangement of continents and seas is presented as a manifestation of the Supreme Reality’s governance—cosmic structure as an expression of Vishnu’s sustaining power.