Shloka 74
Qualities of the Five Great Elements; Description of Sudarśana-dvīpa and Mount Meru
पार्श्वे शशस्य द्वे वर्षे उक्ते ये दक्षिणोत्तरे । कर्णे तु नागद्वीपश्च काश्यपद्वीप एव च
pārśve śaśasya dve varṣe ukte ye dakṣiṇottare | karṇe tu nāgadvīpaśca kāśyapadvīpa eva ca
ທີ່ຂ້າງທັງສອງຂອງ ສະສະ (ເຄື່ອງໝາຍກະຕ່າຍ) ກ່າວວ່າມີວັດສະສອງແຫ່ງ ຄື ທາງໃຕ້ ແລະ ທາງເໜືອ; ແລະທີ່ຫູຂອງມັນມີ ນາກະດວີປ ແລະ ກາສຍະປະດວີປ.
Unknown (narrative voice not specified in the provided excerpt)
Concept: The cosmos is intelligible through symbolic correspondences; sacred geography can be encoded in divine forms, inviting contemplative vision beyond literalism.
Application: Use sacred symbols (moon, hare, mandala) as meditation supports; study cosmography as a way to cultivate wonder and reduce narrow self-identification.
Primary Rasa: adbhuta
Secondary Rasa: shanta
Type: celestial_realm
Visual Art Cues: {"scene_description":"A giant moon-disc fills the sky, and within it the ‘hare’ silhouette becomes a living map: its flanks labeled as southern and northern varṣas, and its ear marked by two jewel-like islands—Nāgadvīpa and Kāśyapadvīpa. Below, sages point with kuśa-grass pointers at a celestial chart, as if reading a sacred atlas written in moonlight.","primary_figures":["personified Śaśa (lunar hare as emblem)","sages/cosmographers","celestial attendants (optional)"],"setting":"Observatory-like celestial terrace with star instruments, palm-leaf charts, and a vast horizon where the moon appears enormous.","lighting_mood":"moonlit","color_palette":["indigo","silver","opal white","smoky violet","pale gold"],"tanjore_prompt":"Tanjore painting style: oversized moon-disc with gold leaf rim, the hare-form rendered as a sacred diagram with ornate calligraphic labels for varṣas and dvīpas, sages in bright silk dhotis, heavy gold ornamentation on borders, stylized celestial instruments with gem-like highlights.","pahari_prompt":"Pahari miniature style: cool night palette, delicate moon wash, fine-lined hare silhouette containing tiny island vignettes, sages seated with manuscripts, subtle landscape gradients and star-speckled sky, refined minimal ornamentation.","kerala_mural_prompt":"Kerala mural style: bold outlines of the moon and hare, dvīpa labels as decorative bands, sages in rhythmic poses, flat indigo background with white star dots, traditional mural symmetry and floral corner motifs.","pichwai_prompt":"Pichwai cloth painting style: central moon mandala with hare-map, lotus border and creepers, symmetrical island medallions at the ‘ear’, deep blue cloth ground with silver-white detailing and gold accents."}
Audio Atmosphere: {"recitation_mood":"narrative","suggested_raga":"Bhupali","pace":"moderate-narrative","voice_tone":"authoritative","sound_elements":["soft wind","night birds","page-turning of manuscripts (subtle)","tanpura drone"]}
Sandhi Resolution Notes: दक्षिणोत्तरे → दक्षिण-उत्तरे (द्वन्द्व). नागद्वीपश्च → नागद्वीपः च. काश्यपद्वीप एव → काश्यपद्वीपः एव.
FAQs
It reflects Purāṇic cosmography—mythic-sacred mapping of regions (varṣas) and island-continents (dvīpas), using symbolic landmarks such as the ‘Hare’ (Śaśa).
Śaśa literally means “hare.” In Purāṇic descriptions it can function as a named cosmographic figure/marker (a symbolic form used to locate surrounding regions).
Not directly; the verse is primarily descriptive. Its broader religious function is to situate sacred knowledge within an ordered cosmic map, a common Purāṇic way of framing dharma and pilgrimage traditions.