Shloka 74
सप्तद्वीप-समुद्र-प्रमाणम्: प्लक्षादि-द्वीपवर्णनं, लोकालोक-सीमा, चन्द्र-समुद्र-वृद्धिक्षयः
एकश् चात्र महाभाग प्रख्यातो वर्षपर्वतः मानसोत्तरसंज्ञो वै मध्यतो वलयाकृतिः
ekaś cātra mahābhāga prakhyāto varṣaparvataḥ mānasottarasaṃjño vai madhyato valayākṛtiḥ
And here, O noble one, there is a single celebrated mountain that marks the divisions of the regions: it is known as Mānasottara, and it stands in the very middle, shaped like a circular ring.
Sage Parāśara (teaching Maitreya)
Speaker: Parasara
Topic: The central ring-mountain Mānasottara that demarcates varṣa divisions in Puṣkara-dvīpa
Teaching: Cosmological
Quality: authoritative
Cosmic Hierarchy: Varshas
Concept: Boundaries and centers (madhya) are intrinsic to the Purāṇic world-map, suggesting a cosmos arranged around stabilizing principles.
Vedantic Theme: Dharma
Application: Establish an inner ‘Mānasottara’—clear boundaries and a stable center through daily discipline and remembrance of the Lord.
Vishishtadvaita: Order, center, and boundary can be contemplated as features of the Lord’s immanent governance (niyamanam) of His body-world, though not directly named.
FAQs
This verse identifies Mānasottara as a renowned, centrally placed, ring-shaped mountain that functions as a key structural marker in the Purana’s description of the world’s regional divisions (varṣas).
Parāśara presents the world as an ordered, intelligible structure—naming specific features (like Mānasottara) and describing their form and placement to show how regions are systematically arranged.
Even when Vishnu is not named in the verse, the Purana’s geography is framed as an expression of cosmic order sustained by the Supreme Reality—Vishnu—whose sovereignty underlies the universe’s coherent design.