Shloka 62
सप्तद्वीप-समुद्र-प्रमाणम्: प्लक्षादि-द्वीपवर्णनं, लोकालोक-सीमा, चन्द्र-समुद्र-वृद्धिक्षयः
पूर्वस् तत्रोदयगिरिर् जलधारस् तथापरः तथा रैवतकः श्यामस् तथैवाम्भोगिरिर् द्विज आम्बिकेयस् तथा रम्यः केसरी पर्वतोत्तमः
pūrvas tatrodayagirir jaladhāras tathāparaḥ tathā raivatakaḥ śyāmas tathaivāmbhogirir dvija āmbikeyas tathā ramyaḥ kesarī parvatottamaḥ
There, to the east, stands Mount Udayagiri; likewise are Jaladhāra and Aparā; also Raivataka and Śyāma; and, O twice-born, Ambhogiri; then Āmbikeya and Ramya; and the excellent mountain Keśarī—these are named among the eminent ranges.
Sage Parāśara (speaking to Maitreya)
Speaker: Parasara
Topic: Sacred geography and the division of regions by mountain ranges
Teaching: Cosmological
Quality: authoritative
Cosmic Hierarchy: Varshas (regions)
Concept: Naming and orienting the world’s mountains frames geography as a sacred, intelligible order rather than mere terrain.
Vedantic Theme: Dharma
Application: Use sacred cartography as a contemplative aid: align one’s inner life with steadiness (parvata-dhṛti) and directional mindfulness.
Vishishtadvaita: The manifold earth-forms are real and nameable, yet function within a single divinely sustained cosmic order.
FAQs
The list functions as sacred cosmography: it maps the ordered structure of Jambūdvīpa, presenting the world as a coherent domain upheld by divine law, ultimately grounded in Vishnu’s sovereignty.
Parāśara proceeds systematically—naming directional landmarks and major ranges—so Maitreya can understand the Purāṇic universe as an intelligible, hierarchically arranged cosmos rather than a random landscape.
Even when Vishnu is not named in the verse, the cosmological catalog implies a universe that is measured, sustained, and meaningful—an expression of the Supreme Reality whose order pervades all realms.