Shloka 26

Bhu-maṇḍala-varṇanam

Description of the Earth-Maṇḍala, the Seven Continents, and Meru

Devanagari script

शंखचूडोऽथ ऋषभो हंसो नाम महीधरः । कालंजराद्याश्च तथा उत्तरे केसराचलाः

Transliteration

śaṃkhacūḍo'tha ṛṣabho haṃso nāma mahīdharaḥ | kālaṃjarādyāśca tathā uttare kesarācalāḥ

Translation

Há uma montanha chamada Śaṅkhacūḍa; depois (vêm) as montanhas Ṛṣabha e Haṃsa. Do mesmo modo, há Kālañjara e outras; e, na região do norte, estão as montanhas Kesara.

Word by Word

• शंखचूडः: Śaṅkhacūḍa (name)
• शंखचूडः: Karta (कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: शंख (प्रातिपदिक) + चूड (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: तत्पुरुष समास (शंखः चूडायाम्/शंख-चूडः as proper name); पुल्लिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), एकवचन

• अथ: then; and next
• अथ: Sambandha-bodhaka (discourse)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: अथ (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय (particle; sequence marker)

• ऋषभः: Ṛṣabha (name)
• ऋषभः: Karta (कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: ऋषभ (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), एकवचन

• हंसः: Haṃsa (name)
• हंसः: Karta (कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: हंस (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), एकवचन

• नाम: by name; called
• नाम: Sambandha-bodhaka (apposition marker)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: नाम (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय (particle indicating naming/quotation)

• महीधरः: mountain; earth-holder
• महीधरः: Karta (कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: मही (प्रातिपदिक) + धर (प्रातिपदिक; from √धृ)
• Form: तत्पुरुष समास (महीं धरति इति); पुल्लिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), एकवचन

• कालंजर-आद्याः: those beginning with Kālañjara
• कालंजर-आद्याः: Karta (कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: कालंजर (प्रातिपदिक) + आदि (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: तत्पुरुष समास (कालंजरः आदिः येषाम्); पुल्लिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), बहुवचन

• च: and
• च: Samuccaya (समुच्चय)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: च (अव्यय)
• Form: समुच्चयबोधक अव्यय (conjunction)

• तथा: likewise; also
• तथा: Kriya-visheshana (क्रियाविशेषण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: तथा (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय (adverb)

• उत्तरे: northern
• उत्तरे: Visheshana (विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: उत्तर (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), बहुवचन (used substantively: ‘the northern ones’)

• केसर-अचलाः: Kesar mountains
• केसर-अचलाः: Karta (कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: केसर (प्रातिपदिक) + अचल (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: तत्पुरुष समास (केसर-नामकाः अचलाः / ‘Kesar’ mountains); पुल्लिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), बहुवचन

Speaker

Suta Goswami

Jyotirlinga Context

Sthala Purana: Cosmographic listing of mountains as part of the ordered manifestation of the world-system; not a Jyotirliṅga episode.

Significance: Supports contemplative ‘bhū-maṇḍala’ reflection used in Purāṇic devotion: seeing the cosmos as an ordered field under Īśvara’s governance.

Characters & Entities

• Shiva

FAQs

What is the spiritual significance of this verse in the Shiva Purana?

This verse sanctifies sacred geography by naming holy mountains, implying that creation itself becomes a field for Shiva-bhakti; such places support purification of the pashu (bound soul) through remembrance, pilgrimage, and reverence for Shiva’s presence in the world.

How does this verse relate to the worship of the Linga or Saguna Shiva?

By mapping revered mountains, the text points to locales traditionally associated with Saguna Shiva worship—where devotees approach Shiva through visible supports (kṣetra, tīrtha, and often the Liṅga) while cultivating inner devotion that leads toward realization of Shiva as the supreme Pati.

What ritualistic or meditative practice is suggested here?

A practical takeaway is tīrtha-yātrā with japa of the Panchākṣarī (“Om Namaḥ Śivāya”) and simple Shaiva observances such as Tripuṇḍra (bhasma) and Rudrākṣa, offered with humility while visiting or contemplating these sacred regions.