Shloka 12

Adhyaya 52: सोमाधारः, पुण्योदानदी, मेरुप्रदक्षिणा, जम्बूद्वीपनववर्षवर्णनम्

Devanagari script

क्षुद्रनद्यस्त्वसंख्याता गङ्गा यद्गाङ्गताम्बरात् केतुमाले नराः कालाः सर्वे पनसभोजनाः

Transliteration

kṣudranadyastvasaṃkhyātā gaṅgā yadgāṅgatāmbarāt ketumāle narāḥ kālāḥ sarve panasabhojanāḥ

Translation

小さき川は数知れず、またガンガー（Gaṅgā）はガンガーの天界の領域より発して流れ出る。ケートゥマーラ（Ketumāla）では人々は黒みの肌をもち、皆がジャックフルーツを主食として生きる。

Word by Word

• kṣudra-nadyaḥ: small rivers

• tu: and/indeed

• asaṅkhyātāḥ: innumerable

• gaṅgā: the river Gaṅgā

• yat: which/that

• gāṅga-tāmbarāt: from the heavenly Gaṅgā-region (celestial source)

• ketumāle: in Ketumāla (a varṣa/region)

• narāḥ: people

• kālāḥ: dark/black-hued

• sarve: all

• panasa-bhojanāḥ: those whose food is jackfruit (jackfruit-eaters)

Speaker

Suta Goswami

Characters & Entities

• Ganga

FAQs

What is the importance of this verse in the context of Linga worship?

By locating Gaṅgā’s divine origin and mapping sacred regions, the verse supports the Shaiva view that tīrthas (holy waters) are embodiments of Pati’s śakti, aiding purification for Linga-pūjā and liberation of the paśu from pāśa.

How does this verse describe the nature of Shiva (Shiva-tattva)?

Indirectly: the ordered cosmos and sanctity of Gaṅgā imply a governing transcendence—Pati—whose power sustains worlds and purifies beings, even when the narrative is framed as geography.

What ritualistic or Yogic practice is highlighted here?

Tīrtha-sevā and snāna (ritual bathing) are implied through Gaṅgā’s sacred source; such purification is a preparatory limb for disciplined worship and Pāśupata-oriented sādhanā.