Shloka 37

Meru-Topography: Cities of Brahmā and the Dikpālas; Descent of Gaṅgā; Varṣa-Lotus and Boundary Mountains

Devanagari script

गन्धमादनकैलासौ पूर्वपश्चायतावुभौ / अशीतियोजनायामावर्णवान्तर्व्यवस्थितौ

Transliteration

gandhamādanakailāsau pūrvapaścāyatāvubhau / aśītiyojanāyāmāvarṇavāntarvyavasthitau

Translation

गन्धमादनः कैलासश्च—उभौ पूर्वपश्चिमायतौ—वर्णवान्तर्व्यवस्थितौ, अशीतियोजनायामौ।

Word by Word

• गन्धमादनकैलासौ: Gandhamādana and Kailāsa
• गन्धमादनकैलासौ: Karta (कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: गन्धमादन + कैलास (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/प्रथमा), द्विवचन; द्वन्द्व—(two mountains) Gandhamādana and Kailāsa

• पूर्वपश्चात्: east-west
• पूर्वपश्चात्: Avyaya (अव्यय/क्रियाविशेषण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: पूर्व + पश्चात् (अव्यय)
• Form: द्वन्द्व-समासे अव्ययद्वयम् (east and west) used as directional adverb

• आयतौ: extended
• आयतौ: Karta (कर्ता)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: आयत (अय्/या धातु, क्त/कृदन्त-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/प्रथमा), द्विवचन; क्त-प्रत्ययान्त (extended)

• उभौ: both
• उभौ: Karta (कर्ता)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: उभ (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/प्रथमा), द्विवचन; विशेषण

• अशीतियोजनायामौ: having a length of eighty yojanas
• अशीतियोजनायामौ: Karta (कर्ता)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: अशीति + योजन + आयाम (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/प्रथमा), द्विवचन; षष्ठी/तत्पुरुषार्थे परिमाणवाचक-समासः—‘अशीतियोजन-आयामौ’ = having length of 80 yojanas

• अर्णव-अन्तर्: within the ocean
• अर्णव-अन्तर्: Adhikarana (अधिकरण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: अर्णव + अन्तर् (प्रातिपदिक/अव्यय)
• Form: अव्ययभावे प्रयुक्तम्; ‘अर्णव-अन्तर्’ = within the ocean/sea; समासः—तत्पुरुष

• व्यवस्थितौ: situated
• व्यवस्थितौ: Karta (कर्ता)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: वि + अव + स्था (स्था धातु, क्त/कृदन्त-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/प्रथमा), द्विवचन; क्त-प्रत्ययान्त (standing/placed)

Speaker

Suta (narrator) recounting the Purāṇic cosmographic description as taught in the Kurma Purana

Verse Rasa

Primary Rasa: adbhuta

Secondary Rasa: shanta

Characters & Entities

• Gandhamadana
• Kailasa
• Varnavan

More Details (4 sections)

FAQs

How does this verse explain the nature of the Supreme Self (Atman)?

This verse is primarily cosmographic, mapping sacred space; indirectly, Kurma Purana uses such ordered geography to reflect ṛta (cosmic order), within which the seeker contemplates the Self as the stable witness beyond all spatial measures.

What Yoga or Meditative practices are highlighted here?

No explicit Yoga technique is stated here; however, meditating on sacred mountains like Kailāsa functions as a contemplative support (ālambana) in Purāṇic practice—linking external tīrtha-geography with inner purification emphasized elsewhere in the Kurma Purana’s Yoga teachings.

How does this verse depict the relationship between Shiva and Vishnu?

By placing Kailāsa (iconically Śiva’s abode) within the same sacred cosmic map narrated in a Vaiṣṇava Purāṇa, the text supports a synthetic vision: Śiva’s and Viṣṇu’s spheres belong to one dharmic cosmos, encouraging reverence without sectarian separation.