Vamana Purana — Structure of Jambudvipa, Shloka 45

The Structure of Jambudvipa: Nine Varshas, Navadvipa Bharata, Mountains, Rivers, and Peoples

Devanagari script

ब्रह्मोत्तरा प्राविजया भार्गवाः केशवर्राः प्रग्ज्योतिषाश्च शूद्रश्च विदेहास्ताम्रलिप्तकाः

Transliteration

brahmottarā prāvijayā bhārgavāḥ keśavarrāḥ pragjyotiṣāśca śūdraśca videhāstāmraliptakāḥ

Translation

ಬ್ರಹ್ಮೋತ್ತರರು, ಪ್ರಾವಿಜಯರು, ಭಾರ್ಗವರು ಮತ್ತು ಕೇಶವರ್ರರು; ಪ್ರಾಗ್ಜ್ಯೋತಿಷರು ಹಾಗೂ ಶೂದ್ರರು; ವಿದೇಹರು ಮತ್ತು ತಾಮ್ರಲಿಪ್ತಕರು (ಜನಪದಗಳು).

Word by Word

• ब्रह्मोत्तराः: the Brahmottaras
• ब्रह्मोत्तराः: Karta (कर्ता/Subject)
• Type: Noun
• Root: ब्रह्म (प्रातिपदिक) + उत्तर (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st), बहुवचन; समासः—तत्पुरुषः (षष्ठी-तत्पुरुषः: ‘of Brahman/Brahmā’ + ‘northern/superior’ as a name)

• प्राविजयाः: the Prāvijayas
• प्राविजयाः: Karta (कर्ता/Subject)
• Type: Noun
• Root: प्राविजय (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st), बहुवचन

• भार्गवाः: the Bhārgavas
• भार्गवाः: Karta (कर्ता/Subject)
• Type: Noun
• Root: भार्गव (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st), बहुवचन

• केशवर्राः: the Keśavarrās
• केशवर्राः: Karta (कर्ता/Subject)
• Type: Noun
• Root: केशवर्र (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st), बहुवचन

• प्राग्ज्योतिषाः: the Prāgjyotiṣas
• प्राग्ज्योतिषाः: Karta (कर्ता/Subject)
• Type: Noun
• Root: प्राग्ज्योतिष (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st), बहुवचन; समासः—तत्पुरुषः (दिशा-पूर्वपद: प्राक् + ज्योतिष ‘eastern Jyotiṣa/Prāgjyotiṣa’)

• च: and
• च: Sambandha (सम्बन्ध/Connector)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: च (अव्यय)
• Form: समुच्चयबोधक-अव्यय (and)

• शूद्रः: the Śūdra (group/person named Śūdra)
• शूद्रः: Karta (कर्ता/Subject)
• Type: Noun
• Root: शूद्र (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st), एकवचन (Singular)

• च: and
• च: Sambandha (सम्बन्ध/Connector)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: च (अव्यय)
• Form: समुच्चयबोधक-अव्यय (and)

• विदेहाः: the Videhas
• विदेहाः: Karta (कर्ता/Subject)
• Type: Noun
• Root: विदेह (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st), बहुवचन

• ताम्रलिप्तकाः: the Tāmrali(pt)akas (people of Tāmrali(pt)i)
• ताम्रलिप्तकाः: Karta (कर्ता/Subject)
• Type: Noun
• Root: ताम्रलिप्तक (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st), बहुवचन

Speakers

• Pulastya to Nārada (typical frame; specific speaker not explicit in the given excerpt)

Key Themes

• Sacred Geography
• Ethnography
• Purāṇic Gazetteer

Verse Rasa (Emotional Flavour)

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

FAQs

What is the philosophical or ethical takeaway?

The Purāṇa preserves collective knowledge of regions and identities; the takeaway is civilizational continuity—remembering lands and peoples as part of a single mapped world that underwrites pilgrimage, polity, and shared dharma.

How does this fit the Pancalakshana?

Sarga-style descriptive material (cosmography/geography) functioning as ancillary ‘world-description’ within the Purāṇic framework rather than a direct Vāmana-Bali or ritual prescription passage.

What is the symbolic significance?

By naming far-flung regions (Prāgjyotiṣa, Videha, Tāmralipti), the text symbolically extends the sacred-cultural horizon of Bhārata, integrating borderlands and renowned centers into one Purāṇic mental map.