Vamana Purana — Structure of Jambudvipa, Shloka 17

The Structure of Jambudvipa: Nine Varshas, Navadvipa Bharata, Mountains, Rivers, and Peoples

Devanagari script

तुङ्गप्रस्थो नागगिरिस्तथा गोवर्धनाचलः उज्जायनः पुष्पगिरिरर्बुदो रैवतस्तथा

Transliteration

tuṅgaprastho nāgagiristathā govardhanācalaḥ ujjāyanaḥ puṣpagirirarbudo raivatastathā

Translation

Tuṅgaprastha, Nāgagiri, Govardhanācala, Ujjāyana, Puṣpagiri, Arbuda, serta Raivata—ini semua adalah nama-nama gunung yang disebutkan.

Word by Word

• तुङ्गप्रस्थः: Tuṅgaprastha (a mountain)
• तुङ्गप्रस्थः: Karta (कर्ता/Subject)
• Type: Noun
• Root: तुङ्ग + प्रस्थ (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन; समासः—तत्पुरुष (तुङ्गस्य प्रस्थः / 'lofty plateau')

• नागगिरिः: Nāgagiri (a mountain)
• नागगिरिः: Karta (कर्ता/Subject)
• Type: Noun
• Root: नाग + गिरि (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन; समासः—तत्पुरुष (नागानां गिरिः / 'serpent-mountain')

• तथा: also
• तथा: Sambandha (सम्बन्ध/Connector)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: तथा (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय (adverb/conjunctive: 'also/likewise')

• गोवर्धनाचलः: Govardhana mountain
• गोवर्धनाचलः: Karta (कर्ता/Subject)
• Type: Noun
• Root: गोवर्धन + अचल (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन; समासः—तत्पुरुष (गोवर्धनः अचलः)

• उज्जायनः: Ujjāyana (a mountain/place-name)
• उज्जायनः: Karta (कर्ता/Subject)
• Type: Noun
• Root: उज्जायन (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन

• पुष्पगिरिः: Puṣpagiri (a mountain)
• पुष्पगिरिः: Karta (कर्ता/Subject)
• Type: Noun
• Root: पुष्प + गिरि (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन; समासः—तत्पुरुष (पुष्पाणां गिरिः / 'flower-mountain')

• अर्बुदः: Arbuda (mountain)
• अर्बुदः: Karta (कर्ता/Subject)
• Type: Noun
• Root: अर्बुद (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन

• रैवतः: Raivata (mountain)
• रैवतः: Karta (कर्ता/Subject)
• Type: Noun
• Root: रैवत (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन

• तथा: likewise
• तथा: Sambandha (सम्बन्ध/Connector)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: तथा (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय (adverb: 'likewise')

Speakers

• Pulastya to Narada (typical Vamana Purana dialogue frame; not explicitly stated in the input verses)

Key Themes

• Sacred Geography
• Pilgrimage Networks
• Toponymic Memory

Verse Rasa (Emotional Flavour)

{ "primaryRasa": "shanta", "secondaryRasa": "adbhuta", "rasaIntensity": 0, "emotionalArcPosition": "", "moodDescriptors": [] }

FAQs

What is the philosophical or ethical takeaway?

The verse encourages a dharmic imagination where places are not inert: they are carriers of memory and merit (puṇya). Such catalogues support pilgrimage disciplines—self-control, charity, and worship—by anchoring them to specific locales.

How does this fit the Pancalakshana?

As with other tīrtha-mahātmya materials, it sits alongside cosmographic description used by Purāṇas to situate lineages and sacred acts in a mapped world—adjacent to sarga/pratisarga frameworks rather than vamśa narratives.

What is the symbolic significance?

Names like Govardhana evoke protection and divine shelter (in wider Vaiṣṇava memory), while Arbuda/Raivata evoke regional sanctity. The catalogue thus stitches sectarian and regional sacred spaces into a single, non-exclusive sacred geography.