Shloka 30
Garuḍa’s Breach of the Amṛta-Guard and Boons with Viṣṇu; Encounter with Indra (Ādi-parva, Adhyāya 29)
षड्डुच्छितो योजनानि गजस्तद्द्विगुणायत: । कूर्मस्त्रियोजनोत्सेधो दशयोजनमण्डल:,हाथीका शरीर छ: योजन ऊँचा और बारह योजन लंबा है। कछुआ तीन योजन ऊँचा और दस योजन गोल है
ṣaḍ-ucchito yojanāni gajas tad-dviguṇāyataḥ | kūrmas triyojanotsedho daśayojanamaṇḍalaḥ ||
Kaśyapa said: “The elephant is six yojanas in height and twice that in length. The tortoise is three yojanas in height and has a circumference of ten yojanas.” In this passage, the speaker conveys extraordinary measurements to impress upon the listener the vast, wondrous scale of beings described in the narrative, encouraging attentive reflection on the marvels of creation rather than ordinary human assumptions.
कश्यप उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights the extraordinary scale of beings described in the epic’s narrative world, training the listener to contemplate creation’s vastness and to receive the account with wonder and attentiveness rather than limiting it to ordinary expectations.
Kaśyapa is describing the dimensions of an elephant and a tortoise in yojanas, giving striking measurements as part of a larger descriptive/didactic passage.