Markandeya Purana — Adhyaya 57, Shloka 4
Adhyaya 57 — The Ninefold Divisions of Bharata: Mountains, Rivers, and Peoples
ये चास्य भेदाः यावन्तो यथावत् स्थितिरेव च ।
वर्षोऽयं द्विजशार्दूल ! ये चास्मिन् देशपर्वताः ॥
ye cāsya bhedā yāvanto yathāvat sthitir eva ca / varṣo 'yaṃ dvijaśārdūla! ye cāsmin deśaparvatāḥ
हे द्विजों में व्याघ्र, इस प्रदेश के कितने विभाग हैं, उसका यथोचित विन्यास क्या है, तथा इस वर्ष में जो देश और पर्वत हैं, वे भी मुझे बताइए।
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FAQs
By asking for ordered divisions and landmarks, the text models a dhārmic way of seeing the world: geography is not random but meaningful, supporting pilgrimage, identity, and the mapping of sacred duty onto land.
Directly within 'Sarga' (world-structure) and Purāṇic bhūgola—cataloguing lands and mountains.
Mountains and regional divisions often function as symbolic ‘supports’ (ādhāras): stable peaks and bounded lands mirror inner disciplines and boundaries necessary for sādhana.