Padma Purana — Svarga Khanda, Shloka 13
Description of Uttara-Kuru and the Meru-Flank Regions
Bhadrāśva, Sudarśana Jambū, Solar Attendants
उत्तराःकुरवो विप्रा व्याख्यातास्ते समासतः । मेरुपार्श्वमहं पूर्वं प्रवक्ष्यामि यथातथम्
uttarāḥkuravo viprā vyākhyātāste samāsataḥ | merupārśvamahaṃ pūrvaṃ pravakṣyāmi yathātatham
ਹੇ ਵਿਪ੍ਰੋ, ਉੱਤਰਾ-ਕੁਰੂਆਂ ਦਾ ਵਰਣਨ ਤੁਹਾਨੂੰ ਸੰਖੇਪ ਵਿੱਚ ਕਿਹਾ ਗਿਆ। ਹੁਣ ਮੈਂ ਪਹਿਲਾਂ ਮੇਰੂ ਪਰਬਤ ਦੇ ਪਾਸੇ ਵਾਲੇ ਦੇਸ਼ ਨੂੰ ਜਿਵੇਂ ਹੈ ਤਿਵੇਂ ਬਿਆਨ ਕਰਾਂਗਾ।
Unspecified narrator (speaker not identifiable from this single verse alone)
Concept: Right description (yathātatham) of cosmic order is itself a form of sacred knowledge that orients dharma and devotion.
Application: Use ‘map of meaning’: keep a truthful inner geography—center life on the spiritual axis (Meru-like steadiness) through daily japa and ethical clarity.
Primary Rasa: adbhuta
Secondary Rasa: shanta
Type: mountain
Visual Art Cues: {"scene_description":"A sage-narrator gestures toward a vast cosmic panorama: Mount Meru rises like a golden pillar at the center, with luminous flanks and layered terraces. In the foreground, attentive brāhmaṇas sit in a semicircle, as if receiving a sacred atlas of the worlds.","primary_figures":["Pulastya (or a sage narrator)","brāhmaṇas / Bhīṣma (listeners)"],"setting":"a hermitage overlook that opens into a visionary cosmographic vista of Meru and northern lands","lighting_mood":"golden dawn","color_palette":["sunlit gold","himalayan white","sky turquoise","saffron","forest green"],"tanjore_prompt":"Tanjore painting style: central Mount Meru as a gold-leaf pillar with tiered terraces, sage narrator seated on a lotus-like āsana pointing outward, listeners in traditional attire, ornate arch and floral borders, rich reds/greens with heavy gold embellishment.","pahari_prompt":"Pahari miniature style: refined sage teaching scene on a hillside, delicate Meru in the distance with pale gold highlights, cool mountain palette, lyrical clouds, fine facial features and gentle narrative intimacy.","kerala_mural_prompt":"Kerala mural style: sage with bold outlines and expressive eyes, stylized Meru as a tiered golden mountain, rhythmic bands indicating continents, strong red/yellow/green pigments, temple-wall compositional symmetry.","pichwai_prompt":"Pichwai cloth painting style: Meru rendered as a central lotus-mountain mandala, sage and listeners at the bottom margin, intricate floral borders, deep blue ground with gold and pink lotuses, peacocks framing the cosmic axis."}
Audio Atmosphere: {"recitation_mood":"narrative","suggested_raga":"Bhupali","pace":"moderate-narrative","voice_tone":"authoritative","sound_elements":["tanpura drone","soft hand cymbals","morning birds","gentle wind"]}
Sandhi Resolution Notes: उत्तराःकुरवो = उत्तराः + कुरवः. व्याख्यातास्ते = व्याख्याताः + ते. मेरुपार्श्वमहं = मेरुपार्श्वम् + अहम्. यथातथम् = यथा + तथम्.
FAQs
It signals a transition from describing Uttara-Kuru to a new topic: the cosmographical description of Mount Meru’s adjacent region, a hallmark of the Svarga-khaṇḍa’s sacred-geography material.
“Viprāḥ” refers to brāhmaṇas or learned sages; the verse frames the discourse as a teaching delivered to a learned audience.
“Yathātatham” emphasizes truthful, accurate exposition—valuing fidelity to reality/tradition in transmitting sacred knowledge rather than embellishment.