Kurma Purana — Purva Bhaga, Shloka 22
Bhūrloka-Vyavasthā — The Seven Dvīpas, Seven Oceans, and the Meru-Centered Order of Jambūdvīpa
वनं चैत्ररथं पूर्वे दक्षिणे गन्धमादनम् / वैभ्राजं पश्चिमे विद्यादुत्तरे सवितुर्वनम्
vanaṃ caitrarathaṃ pūrve dakṣiṇe gandhamādanam / vaibhrājaṃ paścime vidyāduttare saviturvanam
Sache que la forêt de Caitraratha est à l’est ; Gandhamādana au sud ; Vaibhrāja à l’ouest ; et, au nord, la forêt de Savitṛ (le Soleil).
Sūta (narrating the Purāṇic teaching in the frame-dialogue; the verse itself is a descriptive śāstra-style statement)
Primary Rasa: adbhuta
Secondary Rasa: shanta
FAQs
This verse is primarily cosmographic, mapping sacred forests by direction; it supports Purāṇic dharma by orienting the practitioner in a sanctified universe rather than directly defining Ātman.
No specific āsana, prāṇāyāma, or Pāśupata discipline is taught here; instead, it provides a sacred directional framework often used to contextualize pilgrimage (tīrtha) and ritual orientation, which can support dhyāna and vrata practices in broader Kurma Purāṇa teaching.
The verse is neutral and descriptive, not explicitly theological; within the Kurma Purāṇa’s Shaiva–Vaishnava synthesis, such cosmography functions as shared sacred geography for devotees of both Śiva and Viṣṇu.