Shloka 13
Description and Measurements of Śākadvīpa
with Oceans, Mountains, Varṣas, and Rivers
अतीवगुणवत्सर्वं तत्त्वं पृच्छथ धार्मिकाः । देवर्षिगंधर्वयुतः प्रथमो मेरुरुच्यते
atīvaguṇavatsarvaṃ tattvaṃ pṛcchatha dhārmikāḥ | devarṣigaṃdharvayutaḥ prathamo merurucyate
हे धार्मिकाः, यूयं सर्वं तत्त्वं अतीव गुणवत् प्रकारेण पृच्छथ। देवर्षिगन्धर्वयुतः प्रथमः पर्वतः ‘मेरुः’ इति उच्यते।
Unspecified narrator/teacher in the Svarga-khaṇḍa dialogue (speaker not identifiable from this single verse alone).
Primary Rasa: adbhuta
Secondary Rasa: vira
Type: mountain
Sandhi Resolution Notes: अतीवगुणवत्सर्वं → अतीव-गुणवत् सर्वम्; देवर्षिगंधर्वयुतः → देवर्षि-गन्धर्व-युतः; मेरुरुच्यते → मेरुः उच्यते
FAQs
It presents Meru as the foremost landmark in the cosmological order, portrayed as a sacred, exalted realm frequented by divine sages (devarṣis) and celestial musicians (gandharvas).
Their presence signals Meru’s status as a divine meeting-ground—associated with spiritual knowledge (devarṣis) and celestial culture/ritual aesthetics (gandharvas)—reinforcing Meru as a heavenly, sanctified center.
It frames the inquiry as dharmic—suggesting that sincere questioning about tattva (essential truth) is itself a virtuous act and a legitimate path toward understanding sacred cosmology and higher principles.