Shloka 31
Adhyāya 6: Pañca-mahābhūta–guṇa-nirdeśa and Sudarśana-dvīpa
Five Elements, Sensory Qualities, and a Cosmographic Island
मेरोस्तु पश्चिमे पाश्वे केतुमालो महीपते,राजन! मेरुके पश्चिम भागमें केतुमाल द्वीप है, वहीं अत्यन्त विशाल जम्बूखण्ड नामक प्रदेश है, जो नन्दन-वनके समान मनोहर जान पड़ता है। भारत! वहाँके निवासियोंकी आयु दस हजार वर्षोकी होती है
merostu paścime pārśve ketumālo mahīpate | rājan meruke paścima-bhāge ketumāla-dvīpaḥ, tatraiva atyanta-viśālaḥ jambūkhaṇḍa-nāma pradeśaḥ, yo nandanavanavat manohara iti pratibhāti | bhārata tatra-nivāsināṃ āyuḥ daśa-sahasra-varṣāṇi bhavati |
Sañjaya said: “O lord of the earth, on the western flank of Mount Meru lies Ketumāla. In the western region of Meru there is the island-continent called Ketumāla; there too is an exceedingly vast tract known as Jambūkhaṇḍa, delightful like Nandana-grove. O Bhārata, the inhabitants there are said to live for ten thousand years.”
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse primarily conveys a cosmographic vision: the world is portrayed as vast, ordered, and wondrous, with regions of extraordinary beauty and longevity. Ethically, it frames kingship and human concerns within a larger cosmic scale, encouraging humility and perspective.
Sañjaya is describing mythic geography to the king (addressed as Bhārata/mahīpati), locating Ketumāla on the western side of Mount Meru and praising a great region called Jambūkhaṇḍa as Nandana-like, adding that its inhabitants live for ten thousand years.