Shloka 6

Bhāratavarṣa–Navabheda-Vyavasthā

The Nine Divisions of Bhāratavarṣa and Its Sacred Geography

Devanagari script

पूर्वे किराता यस्य स्युर्दक्षिणे यवनाः स्थिताः । पश्चिमे च तथा ज्ञेया उत्तरे हि तपस्विनः

Transliteration

pūrve kirātā yasya syurdakṣiṇe yavanāḥ sthitāḥ | paścime ca tathā jñeyā uttare hi tapasvinaḥ

Translation

Al oriente moran los Kirātas; al sur están apostados los Yavanas. Al occidente, asimismo, han de entenderse pueblos semejantes; y al norte, en verdad, los ascetas entregados a la austeridad.

Word by Word

• pūrve: in the east
• pūrve: Adhikaraṇa (अधिकरण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: pūrva (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Avyaya; adverb of place (देशवाचक-अव्यय) = 'in the east'

• kirātāḥ: Kirātas (tribal people)
• kirātāḥ: Karta (कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: kirāta (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Masculine (पुंलिङ्ग), Nominative (प्रथमा) plural (बहुवचन)

• yasya: of whom/whose
• yasya: Sambandha (सम्बन्ध/षष्ठी)
• Type: Noun
• Root: yad (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Masculine/Neuter, Genitive (षष्ठी) singular (एकवचन); relative pronoun

• syuḥ: may be/should be
• syuḥ: Kriyā (क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: as (धातु)
• Form: Vidhiliṅ (विधिलिङ्, optative), 3rd person (प्रथमपुरुष), plural (बहुवचन)

• dakṣiṇe: in the south
• dakṣiṇe: Adhikaraṇa (अधिकरण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: dakṣiṇa (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Avyaya; adverb of place (देशवाचक-अव्यय) = 'in the south'

• yavanāḥ: Yavanas
• yavanāḥ: Karta (कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: yavana (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Masculine (पुंलिङ्ग), Nominative (प्रथमा) plural (बहुवचन)

• sthitāḥ: standing/located
• sthitāḥ: Kriyā (क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: sthā (धातु)
• Form: Past passive participle (क्त, क्तप्रत्ययान्त), Masculine (पुंलिङ्ग), Nominative (प्रथमा) plural (बहुवचन); used predicatively

• paścime: in the west
• paścime: Adhikaraṇa (अधिकरण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: paścima (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Avyaya; adverb of place (देशवाचक-अव्यय) = 'in the west'

• ca: and
• ca: Sambandha (सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: ca (अव्यय)
• Form: Conjunction (समुच्चयबोधक-अव्यय)

• tathā: likewise/so
• tathā: Sambandha (सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: tathā (अव्यय)
• Form: Adverb (क्रियाविशेषण-अव्यय)

• jñeyāḥ: are to be known (as)
• jñeyāḥ: Kriyā (क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: jñā (धातु)
• Form: Gerundive (तव्यत्/यत्; here -य, 'to be known'), Masculine (पुंलिङ्ग), Nominative (प्रथमा) plural (बहुवचन)

• uttare: in the north
• uttare: Adhikaraṇa (अधिकरण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: uttara (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Avyaya; adverb of place (देशवाचक-अव्यय) = 'in the north'

• hi: indeed
• hi: Sambandha (सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: hi (अव्यय)
• Form: Particle (निपात) giving emphasis/indeed

• tapasvinaḥ: ascetics
• tapasvinaḥ: Karta (कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: tapasvin (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Masculine (पुंलिङ्ग), Nominative (प्रथमा) plural (बहुवचन)

Speaker

Suta Goswami

Shaiva Theology

Tattva Level: pashu

Shiva Form: Paśupatinātha

FAQs

What is the spiritual significance of this verse in the Shiva Purana?

The verse frames a sacred landscape by directions, highlighting that alongside worldly peoples there are also tapasvins—reminding the seeker that liberation-oriented discipline (tapas) remains the highest northward ideal in Shaiva teaching.

How does this verse relate to the worship of the Linga or Saguna Shiva?

By describing the surrounding regions and communities, it situates Shiva’s sacred presence within the world; Linga-worship is practiced amid diverse societies, while the tapasvin ideal points to inner purification that supports Saguna Shiva devotion and leads toward realization of Pati (Shiva).

What ritualistic or meditative practice is suggested here?

The explicit takeaway is tapas—regular austerity and self-discipline; in Shaiva practice this is commonly supported by japa of the Panchakshara (Om Namaḥ Śivāya), wearing rudrāksha, and applying tripuṇḍra-bhasma as aids to steadiness and purity.