Adhyaya 57 — The Ninefold Divisions of Bharata: Mountains, Rivers, and Peoples
ये चास्य भेदाः यावन्तो यथावत् स्थितिरेव च ।
वर्षोऽयं द्विजशार्दूल ! ये चास्मिन् देशपर्वताः ॥
ye cāsya bhedā yāvanto yathāvat sthitir eva ca / varṣo 'yaṃ dvijaśārdūla! ye cāsmin deśaparvatāḥ
ஹே இருமுறை பிறந்தோரில் புலியே, இந்தப் பகுதியிற்கு எத்தனை பிரிவுகள் உள்ளன, அதன் முறையான அமைப்பு என்ன, மேலும் இந்த வர்ஷத்தில் உள்ள நாடுகளையும் மலைகளையும் எனக்குச் சொல்லுங்கள்.
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By asking for ordered divisions and landmarks, the text models a dhārmic way of seeing the world: geography is not random but meaningful, supporting pilgrimage, identity, and the mapping of sacred duty onto land.
Directly within 'Sarga' (world-structure) and Purāṇic bhūgola—cataloguing lands and mountains.
Mountains and regional divisions often function as symbolic ‘supports’ (ādhāras): stable peaks and bounded lands mirror inner disciplines and boundaries necessary for sādhana.