Shloka 56
Adhyāya 6: Pañca-mahābhūta–guṇa-nirdeśa and Sudarśana-dvīpa
Five Elements, Sensory Qualities, and a Cosmographic Island
ताम्रपर्ण: शिरो राजज्छीमान् मलयपर्वतः । एतद् द्वितीयं द्वीपस्य दृश्यते शशसंस्थितम्,राजन! ताम्रवर्णके वृक्षों और पत्रोंसे सुशोभित श्रीमान् मलयपर्वत ही इसका सिर है। इस प्रकार यह सुदर्शनद्वीपका दूसरा भाग खरगोशके आकारमें दृष्टिगोचर होता है
tāmraparṇaḥ śiro rājan śrīmān malayaparvataḥ | etad dvitīyaṃ dvīpasya dṛśyate śaśasaṃsthitam rājan |
Sañjaya said: “O King, the illustrious Malaya mountain—adorned with copper-hued foliage—forms the ‘head’ of that region. Thus, the second division of the island is seen taking the shape of a hare. The description underscores the ordered, intelligible design of the world as perceived by the wise, inviting the listener to contemplate cosmic structure even amid the moral turbulence of war.”
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse models attentive, orderly perception of the world: even within a war-epic, the narrative pauses to map cosmic geography, implying that dharmic reflection includes understanding the larger order (loka-vyavasthā) beyond immediate conflict.
Sañjaya continues a descriptive account of a dvīpa’s form, stating that the Malaya mountain is like its ‘head’ and that this second section of the island appears in the shape of a hare.