Shloka 31

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

Sanskrit

भद्राश्वेऽश्वशिरा विष्णुर्भारते कूर्मसंस्थितिः ।

वराहः केतुमाले च मत्स्यरूपस्तथोत्तरे ॥

Transliteration

bhadrāśve ’śvaśirā viṣṇur bhārate kūrma-saṁsthitiḥ | varāhaḥ ketumāle ca matsya-rūpas tathottare ||

Translation

ഭദ്രാശ്വത്തിൽ വിഷ്ണു അശ്വശിരസ് രൂപത്തിൽ പ്രത്യക്ഷനാകുന്നു; ഭാരതത്തിൽ കൂർമരൂപത്തിൽ വസിക്കുന്നു; കേതുമാലയിൽ വരാഹരൂപത്തിൽ; ഉത്തരദേശത്ത് മത്സ്യരൂപം ധരിക്കുന്നു।

Word by Word

• भद्राश्वे: in Bhadrāśva (varṣa)
• भद्राश्वे: अधिकरण (Adhikaraṇa/Location)
• Type: Noun
• Root: भद्राश्व (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, सप्तमी (7th/सप्तमी), एकवचन; Locative singular

• अश्वशिराः: (as) Hayagrīva / horse-headed (form)
• अश्वशिराः: कर्ता (Karta/Subject)
• Type: Noun
• Root: अश्वशिरस् (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/प्रथमा), एकवचन; Nom. sg.; समास: अश्वस्य शिरः यस्य (षष्ठी-तत्पुरुष)

• विष्णुः: Viṣṇu
• विष्णुः: कर्ता (Karta/Subject)
• Type: Noun
• Root: विष्णु (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st), एकवचन; Nom. sg.

• भारते: in Bhārata (varṣa)
• भारते: अधिकरण (Adhikaraṇa/Location)
• Type: Noun
• Root: भारत (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, सप्तमी (7th), एकवचन; Loc. sg.

• कूर्मसंस्थितिः: (as) the tortoise-form/abiding
• कूर्मसंस्थितिः: कर्ता (Karta/Subject)
• Type: Noun
• Root: कूर्म + संस्थिति (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st), एकवचन; Nom. sg.; समास: कूर्मस्य संस्थितिः (षष्ठी-तत्पुरुष)

• वराहः: (as) the boar
• वराहः: कर्ता (Karta/Subject)
• Type: Noun
• Root: वराह (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st), एकवचन; Nom. sg.

• केतुमाले: in Ketumāla (varṣa)
• केतुमाले: अधिकरण (Adhikaraṇa/Location)
• Type: Noun
• Root: केतुमाल (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, सप्तमी (7th), एकवचन; Loc. sg.

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

• मत्स्यरूपः: (as) fish-form
• मत्स्यरूपः: कर्ता (Karta/Subject)
• Type: Noun
• Root: मत्स्य + रूप (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st), एकवचन; Nom. sg.; समास: मत्स्यः एव रूपम् (कर्मधारय)

• तथा: likewise
• तथा: सम्बन्ध (Sambandha/Connector)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: तथा (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; manner-adverb

• उत्तरे: in the northern (region/varṣa)
• उत्तरे: अधिकरण (Adhikaraṇa/Location)
• Type: Noun
• Root: उत्तर (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, सप्तमी (7th), एकवचन; Loc. sg.

Speakers

• Cosmography narration within Mārkaṇḍeya Purāṇa (speaker not explicit in excerpt)

Verse Rasa

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

Primary Deities

• Viṣṇu

Key Themes

• Cosmology
• Vaiṣṇava Theology
• Avatāra/Forms of Deity

FAQs

What is the philosophical or ethical takeaway?

Divinity is presented as regionally accessible through appropriate forms. The ethical implication is inclusivity: the sacred adapts to sustain different worlds and beings.

How does this fit the Pancalakṣaṇa (5 characteristics)?

Sthāna, with a theological overlay: the geography is inseparable from the divine presences that uphold it.

What is the esoteric significance?

The forms (horse-headed, tortoise, boar, fish) can be read as archetypes of cognition and support: swift discernment, stable bearing, rescuing from depths, and navigating the primal waters of consciousness.