Shloka 76
सप्तद्वीप-समुद्र-प्रमाणम्: प्लक्षादि-द्वीपवर्णनं, लोकालोक-सीमा, चन्द्र-समुद्र-वृद्धिक्षयः
पुष्करद्वीपवलयं मध्येन विभजन्न् इव स्थितो ऽसौ तेन विच्छिन्नं जातं वर्षद्वयं मुने
puṣkaradvīpavalayaṃ madhyena vibhajann iva sthito 'sau tena vicchinnaṃ jātaṃ varṣadvayaṃ mune
O sage, that lofty mountain stands as though cleaving the ring of Puṣkara-dvīpa through its very middle; by it the land is cut apart, and thus two great varṣas come to be.
Sage Parāśara (narrating to Maitreya)
Speaker: Parasara
Topic: Description of Puṣkara-dvīpa’s layout and its dividing mountain producing two varṣas
Teaching: Cosmological
Quality: authoritative
Cosmic Hierarchy: Dvipas
FAQs
This verse explains a key feature of Purāṇic sacred geography: a central mountain-like boundary splits Puṣkara-dvīpa, establishing two distinct regions and illustrating the ordered, structured layout of the world.
Parāśara describes physical cosmic features—especially mountains—standing like natural partitions; here, one such feature appears to cut Puṣkara-dvīpa through the middle, producing two varṣas.
Even when Vishnu is not named in the line, the Vishnu Purana frames cosmic geography as part of Vishnu’s sovereign ordering of the universe—an expression of a purposeful, intelligible cosmic design rather than a random world.