Markandeya Purana — Adhyaya 54, Shloka 11

Adhyaya 54 — Cosmography of Jambudvipa: Continents, Oceans, Varshas, and Mount Meru

Sanskrit

दशभिर्दशभिर्न्यूनैः सहस्रैस्तैः परस्परम् ।

द्विसाहस्त्रोच्छ्रयाः सर्वे तावद्विस्तारिणश्च ते ॥

Transliteration

daśabhir daśabhir nyūnaiḥ sahasrais taiḥ parasparam | dvi-sāhastra-ucchrayāḥ sarve tāvad vistāriṇaś ca te ||

Translation

ಅವು ಪರಸ್ಪರ ಹತ್ತು ಸಾವಿರ ಯೋಜನಗಳ ಅಂತರದಿಂದ ವಿಭಕ್ತವಾಗಿವೆ; ಕ್ರಮವಾಗಿ ಪ್ರತಿಯೊಂದು ಹತ್ತು ಯೋಜನ ಕಡಿಮೆ. ಅವೆಲ್ಲವೂ ಎರಡು ಸಾವಿರ ಯೋಜನ ಎತ್ತರವಾಗಿದ್ದು, ಅಗಲದಲ್ಲಿಯೂ ಸಮಪ್ರಮಾಣವುಳ್ಳವು.

Word by Word

• daśabhiḥ: by tens
• daśabhiḥ: Karaṇa (करण/Instrument)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: daśa (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्गे (neuter), तृतीया विभक्तिः (Instrumental/3rd), बहुवचनम् (Plural); संख्याविशेषणम् (numeral adjective)

• daśabhiḥ: by tens
• daśabhiḥ: Karaṇa (करण/Instrument)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: daśa (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्गे, तृतीया, बहुवचनम्; संख्याविशेषणम्

• nyūnaiḥ: less (by)
• nyūnaiḥ: Karaṇa (करण/Instrument)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: nyūna (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्गे (masculine) / नपुंसकलिङ्गे (neuter) सम्भवम्, तृतीया विभक्तिः, बहुवचनम्; विशेषणम् (qualifier)

• sahasraiḥ: by thousands
• sahasraiḥ: Karaṇa (करण/Instrument)
• Type: Noun
• Root: sahasra (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्गे, तृतीया विभक्तिः, बहुवचनम्

• taiḥ: by those
• taiḥ: Karaṇa (करण/Instrument)
• Type: Noun
• Root: tad (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्गे, तृतीया विभक्तिः, बहुवचनम्; सर्वनाम (pronoun)

• parasparam: mutually, with one another
• parasparam: Adhikaraṇa (अधिकरण/Locative sense)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: paraspara (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: अव्ययम् (indeclinable); परस्पर-अर्थे (reciprocal adverb)

• dvi-sāhastra-ucchrayāḥ: having a height of two thousand
• dvi-sāhastra-ucchrayāḥ: Karta (कर्ता/Subject)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: dvi (प्रातिपदिक) + sāhastra (प्रातिपदिक) + ucchraya (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्गे, प्रथमा विभक्तिः (Nominative/1st), बहुवचनम्; विशेषणम्; समासः—तत्पुरुषः (संख्यापूर्वक-निर्देशः: ‘द्विसाहस्र’ = two-thousand, ततः ‘उच्छ्रय’ = height)

• sarve: all
• sarve: Karta (कर्ता/Subject)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: sarva (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्गे, प्रथमा विभक्तिः, बहुवचनम्; सर्वनामसदृश-विशेषणम् (universal adjective)

• tāvat-vistāriṇaḥ: extended to that same extent
• tāvat-vistāriṇaḥ: Karta (कर्ता/Subject)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: tāvat (अव्यय/प्रातिपदिक-प्रयोग) + vistārin (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्गे, प्रथमा विभक्तिः, बहुवचनम्; विशेषणम्; समासः—अव्ययीभावः (‘तावत्’ = so much, ‘विस्तारिन्’ = spreading/extended)

• ca: and
• ca: Sambandha (सम्बन्ध/Connector)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: ca (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्ययम्; समुच्चयार्थक-निपातः (conjunction)

• te: they
• te: Karta (कर्ता/Subject)
• Type: Noun
• Root: tad (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्गे, प्रथमा विभक्तिः, बहुवचनम्; सर्वनाम

Speakers

• Unnamed Purāṇic narrator describing cosmic geography (frame-speakers not explicit in this excerpt)

Verse Rasa

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

Key Themes

• Cosmology
• Sacred Geography
• Purāṇic Measurements
• Proportion/Order

FAQs

What is the philosophical or ethical takeaway?

The insistence on measured spacing and proportion reflects the Purāṇic preference for harmony and balance—an analogue to measured conduct (mita-ācāra) in dharma.

How does this fit the Pancalakshana (5 characteristics)?

Still within 'Sthāna'—quantifying the world’s structural features.

What is the esoteric significance?

Regular measures can be used as a meditative grid: the mind is trained to perceive order behind multiplicity, a step toward seeing unity behind diverse forms.