Shloka 3
Adhyaya 56 — The Descent and Fourfold Course of the Ganga; Jambudvipa’s Varshas and Their Conditions
पपात मेरुपृष्ठे च सा चतुर्धा ततो ययौ ।
मेरुकूटतटान्तेभ्यो निपतन्ती ववर्तिता ॥
papāta merupṛṣṭhe ca sā caturdhā tato yayau /
merukūṭataṭāntebhyo nipatantī vavartitā
Elle tomba sur le dos du mont Meru ; puis elle s’écoula en quatre courants. En chutant des bords des sommets et des pentes de Meru, elle fut déviée en des cours distincts.
FAQs
A single sacred source can manifest as multiple life-giving streams suited to different regions—unity expressing itself as beneficial plurality.
Sthāna: it describes the world-mountain Meru and the distribution of waters across directions/regions.
The ‘fourfold’ flow is often read as the one spiritual current differentiating into four channels—analogous to four directions, four Vedas, or four modes of dharma adapted to contexts.