Markandeya Purana — Adhyaya 54, Shloka 16

Adhyaya 54 — Cosmography of Jambudvipa: Continents, Oceans, Varshas, and Mount Meru

Sanskrit

शरावसंस्थितत्वाच्च द्वात्रिंशन्मूर्ध्नि विस्तृतः ।

शुक्लः पीतो ’सितो रक्तः प्राच्यादिषु यथाक्रमम् ॥

Transliteration

śarāvasaṃsthitatvācca dvātriṃśanmūrdhni vistṛtaḥ / śuklaḥ pīto 'sito raktaḥ prācyādiṣu yathākramam

Translation

இது சராவம் (அழுகிய ஆழமுள்ள பாத்திரம்) போன்ற வடிவமுடையதால், அதன் சிகரத்தில் முப்பத்திரண்டு (அளவுகள்) அகலமாக விரிகிறது. கிழக்கு முதலிய திசைகளில் முறையே வெள்ளை, மஞ்சள், கருப்பு, சிவப்பு நிறங்கள் உள்ளன.

Speakers

• Not identifiable from the supplied excerpt (likely within the Purāṇic narrator’s cosmography section)

Verse Rasa

{ "primaryRasa": "adbhuta", "secondaryRasa": "shanta", "rasaIntensity": 0, "emotionalArcPosition": "", "moodDescriptors": [] }

Key Themes

• Cosmology
• Sacred Geography
• Directional symbolism

FAQs

What is the philosophical or ethical takeaway?

The verse encodes a Purāṇic habit of mapping meaning onto space: directions are not merely physical but symbolic, each bearing a distinct quality (here, color). It trains the listener to see the cosmos as ordered and intelligible rather than random.

How does this fit the Pancalakṣaṇa (5 characteristics)?

Primarily within Sarga (cosmic structure/creation description) and, more broadly, Sthāna/poṣaṇa-style cosmography as presented in Purāṇas—here focusing on the arrangement of the world-mountain and directional attributes.

What is the esoteric significance?

Directional colors can function as a contemplative schema: the world-axis (Meru) is envisioned with differentiated ‘qualities’ in each quarter, supporting ritual visualization and the idea that dharma and order pervade spatial reality.