Shloka 35

Bhūrloka-Vyavasthā — The Seven Dvīpas, Seven Oceans, and the Meru-Centered Order of Jambūdvīpa

Devanagari script

असितोदस्य सरसः पश्चिमे केसराचलः / शङ्खकूटो ऽथ वृषभो हंसो नागस्तथा परः

Transliteration

asitodasya sarasaḥ paścime kesarācalaḥ / śaṅkhakūṭo 'tha vṛṣabho haṃso nāgastathā paraḥ

Translation

അസിതോദ സരസ്സിന്റെ പടിഞ്ഞാറ് കേസരാചലം; കൂടാതെ ശംഖകൂടം, വൃഷഭം, ഹംസവും, ഉയർന്ന നാഗവും—ഇവയും ഉണ്ട്.

Word by Word

• असितोदस्य: of Asitoda
• असितोदस्य: Sambandha (सम्बन्ध/Genitive)
• Type: Noun
• Root: असितोद (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग/नपुंसकलिङ्ग (नाम), षष्ठी-विभक्ति (Genitive), एकवचन; ‘असितोद’ इति नाम

• सरसः: of the lake
• सरसः: Sambandha (सम्बन्ध/Genitive)
• Type: Noun
• Root: सरस् (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, षष्ठी-विभक्ति, एकवचन; ‘of the lake’

• पश्चिमे: in the west (western side)
• पश्चिमे: Adhikarana (अधिकरण/Location)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: पश्चिम (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग/नपुंसकलिङ्ग, सप्तमी-विभक्ति (Locative), एकवचन; विशेषणरूपेण (in the western side)

• केसराचलः: Kesarācala (a mountain)
• केसराचलः: Karta (कर्ता/Subject)
• Type: Noun
• Root: केसर-अचल (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन; तत्पुरुषः (केसरः/केसराणि यस्य अचलः इति नाम)

• शङ्खकूटः: Śaṅkhakūṭa (a mountain)
• शङ्खकूटः: Karta (कर्ता/Subject)
• Type: Noun
• Root: शङ्ख-कूट (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन; तत्पुरुषः (शङ्खस्य कूटः/शङ्खाकारः कूटः) नाम

• अथ: then/and next
• अथ: Sambandha (सम्बन्ध/particle)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: अथ (अव्यय)
• Form: अनन्तरार्थक/प्रस्तावार्थक अव्यय (particle: ‘then/now’)

• वृषभः: Vṛṣabha (a mountain)
• वृषभः: Karta (कर्ता/Subject)
• Type: Noun
• Root: वृषभ (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन; नाम

• हंसः: Haṃsa (a mountain)
• हंसः: Karta (कर्ता/Subject)
• Type: Noun
• Root: हंस (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन; नाम

• नागः: Nāga (a mountain)
• नागः: Karta (कर्ता/Subject)
• Type: Noun
• Root: नाग (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन; नाम

• तथा: likewise
• तथा: Sambandha (सम्बन्ध/adverbial)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: तथा (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय, प्रकारवाचक

• परः: another/next
• परः: Visheshana (विशेषण/Qualifier)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: पर (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन; विशेषण (another/next)

Speaker

Sūta (narrator) relaying the Purāṇic description to the sages at Naimiṣāraṇya (contextual narrator voice)

Verse Rasa

Primary Rasa: shanta

Secondary Rasa: adbhuta

Characters & Entities

• Asitoda (lake)
• Kesarācala (mountain)
• Śaṅkhakūṭa (peak)
• Vṛṣabha (peak)
• Haṃsa (peak)
• Nāga (peak)

More Details (4 sections)

FAQs

How does this verse explain the nature of the Supreme Self (Atman)?

This verse is primarily geographic, mapping sacred space; indirectly, it supports the Purāṇic view that the divine is approached through tīrthas and kṣetras, where contemplation and worship can turn the mind inward toward Ātman.

What Yoga or Meditative practices are highlighted here?

No explicit yoga technique is taught in this line; its function is to locate sacred places that traditionally serve as supports for sādhana—japa, dhyāna, vrata, and tīrtha-yātrā—within the Kurma Purana’s broader Dharma and Yoga framework.

How does this verse depict the relationship between Shiva and Vishnu?

The verse itself lists mountains and a lake, not theology; in the Kurma Purana’s overall Shaiva–Vaishnava synthesis, such sacred geographies are shared devotional landscapes where both Hari (Vishnu/Kurma) and Hara (Shiva) are honored without sectarian exclusion.