Shloka 16
Śākadvīpa–Pramāṇa–Varṇana
Measurements and Description of Śākadvīpa
गौरप्रायो जन: सर्व: सुकुमारश्न पार्थिव । अवशिष्ठेषु सर्वेषु वक्ष्यामि मनुजेश्वर,मनुजेश्वर! इन वर्षोके सभी लोग प्राय: गोरे और सुकुमार होते हैं। अब मैं शेष सम्पूर्ण द्वीपोंके विषयमें बताता हूँ
gauraprāyo janaḥ sarvaḥ sukumāraś ca pārthiva | avaśiṣṭeṣu sarveṣu vakṣyāmi manujeśvara ||
Sañjaya berkata: “Wahai raja, penduduk di wilayah-wilayah ini kebanyakannya berkulit cerah dan bertubuh halus. Kini, wahai tuan manusia, akan aku jelaskan pula kepadamu semua pulau yang selebihnya.”
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse is primarily descriptive rather than prescriptive: it models careful, orderly narration to a ruler—reporting characteristics of peoples and then proceeding systematically to the remaining regions. Ethically, it reflects the epic’s concern for responsible speech (truthful, structured reporting) in service of governance and understanding.
Sañjaya continues a cosmographical account addressed to the king, noting that the inhabitants of the regions just mentioned are generally fair and delicate, and then announces that he will go on to describe the rest of the islands/continents.