Shloka 56
Adhyāya 6: Pañca-mahābhūta–guṇa-nirdeśa and Sudarśana-dvīpa
Five Elements, Sensory Qualities, and a Cosmographic Island
ताम्रपर्ण: शिरो राजज्छीमान् मलयपर्वतः । एतद् द्वितीयं द्वीपस्य दृश्यते शशसंस्थितम्,राजन! ताम्रवर्णके वृक्षों और पत्रोंसे सुशोभित श्रीमान् मलयपर्वत ही इसका सिर है। इस प्रकार यह सुदर्शनद्वीपका दूसरा भाग खरगोशके आकारमें दृष्टिगोचर होता है
tāmraparṇaḥ śiro rājan śrīmān malayaparvataḥ | etad dvitīyaṃ dvīpasya dṛśyate śaśasaṃsthitam rājan |
Disse Sañjaya: “Ó rei, a ilustre montanha Malaya — adornada por folhagem de tonalidade acobreada — forma a ‘cabeça’ daquela região. Assim, a segunda divisão da ilha é vista tomando a forma de uma lebre.”
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse models attentive, orderly perception of the world: even within a war-epic, the narrative pauses to map cosmic geography, implying that dharmic reflection includes understanding the larger order (loka-vyavasthā) beyond immediate conflict.
Sañjaya continues a descriptive account of a dvīpa’s form, stating that the Malaya mountain is like its ‘head’ and that this second section of the island appears in the shape of a hare.