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
वह मेरु पर्वत की पीठ पर गिरी, फिर चार धाराओं में प्रवाहित हुई। मेरु के शिखरों और ढलानों के किनारों से गिरते हुए वह अलग-अलग मार्गों में मोड़ दी गई।
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.