Shloka 17

लोकसंस्थानम्, ग्रहदूरी-प्रमाणम्, ब्रह्माण्डावरणानि, विष्णोः जगत्कारणत्वम्

Devanagari script

भूमिसूर्यान्तरं यत् तु सिद्धादिमुनिसेवितम् भुवर्लोकस् तु सो ऽप्य् उक्तो द्वितीयो मुनिसत्तम

Transliteration

bhūmisūryāntaraṃ yat tu siddhādimunisevitam bhuvarlokas tu so 'py ukto dvitīyo munisattama

Translation

That region between the earth and the sun, frequented by the Siddhas and the primordial sages, is also declared to be Bhuvarloka, the second world, O best of sages.

Word by Word

• bhūmisūryāntaram: the space between earth and the sun
• bhūmisūryāntaram: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: bhūmi (प्रातिपदिक) + sūrya (प्रातिपदिक) + antara (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया, एकवचन; विषय (the interval between earth and sun)

• yat: which
• yat: Sambandha (Relative)
• Type: Pronoun
• Root: yad (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया, एकवचन; सम्बन्धक

• tu: indeed
• tu: Sambandha (Discourse particle)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: tu (अव्यय)
• Form: निपात (particle)

• siddhādimunisevitam: frequented by Siddhas and other sages
• siddhādimunisevitam: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: siddha (प्रातिपदिक) + ādi (अव्यय/प्रातिपदिक) + muni (प्रातिपदिक) + sevita (कृदन्त)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया, एकवचन; भूतकर्मणि कृदन्त; ‘सिद्धादि-मुनिभिः सेवितम्’ (served/inhabited by siddhas and other sages)

• bhuvarlokaḥ: Bhuvarloka
• bhuvarlokaḥ: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: bhuvar (प्रातिपदिक) + loka (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन; कर्ता/विषय

• tu: and/also
• tu: Sambandha (Discourse particle)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: tu (अव्यय)
• Form: निपात (particle)

• saḥ: that
• saḥ: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Pronoun
• Root: tad (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन; सर्वनाम; कर्ता

• api: also
• api: Sambandha (Addition)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: api (अव्यय)
• Form: समुच्चय/सम्भावनार्थक निपात (also/even)

• uktaḥ: is said (to be)
• uktaḥ: Kriya (Predicate/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: vac (धातु) → ukta (कृदन्त)
• Form: भूतकर्मणि कृदन्त; पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन; ‘is said/called’

• dvitīyaḥ: second
• dvitīyaḥ: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: dvitīya (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन; विशेषण (ordinal)

• munisattama: O best of sages
• munisattama: Sambodhana (Address)
• Type: Noun
• Root: muni (प्रातिपदिक) + sattama (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, सम्बोधन (8th/सम्बोधन), एकवचन; संबोधन

Speaker

Sage Parāśara (in dialogue with Maitreya)

Parashara-Maitreya Dialogue

Speaker: Parasara

Topic: Identification of Bhuvarloka as the mid-region between earth and sun, inhabited by siddhas and sages

Teaching: Cosmological

Quality: authoritative

Cosmological Context

Cosmic Hierarchy: Lokas (worlds)

Philosophical Teaching

Concept: Between gross earth and the solar sphere lies a subtler inhabited region, indicating graded embodiment and accessibility to perfected beings.

Vedantic Theme: Atman

Application: Honor liminal ‘in-between’ states—discipline and purity can refine perception toward subtler dimensions of existence.

Vishishtadvaita: Graded planes suggest real plurality within unity: diverse jīvas inhabit distinct lokas while remaining supported by the one cosmic order of the Lord.

Vaishnava Theology

Vishnu Form: Narayana (cosmic)

Characters & Entities

• Siddhas
• Sages (Munis)
• Surya (Sun)
• Bhuvar-loka

FAQs

What is the significance of Bhuvar-loka in the Vishnu Purana?

This verse identifies Bhuvar-loka as the realm between Earth and the Sun, portrayed as a sacred mid-region inhabited by Siddhas and venerable sages, emphasizing the ordered stratification of the cosmos.

How does Sage Parāśara explain the structure of the lokas here?

Parāśara explains the lokas by spatial placement: Bhuvar-loka is defined not abstractly but as a measurable interval—specifically the expanse between Bhūmi and Sūrya—thus grounding cosmology in a layered cosmic geography.

What is the theological importance of Lord Vishnu in this context?

Even when Vishnu is not named in the verse, the Vishnu Purana frames such cosmic descriptions as expressions of a divinely governed order—an intelligible universe sustained under Vishnu’s supreme sovereignty.