Shloka 75

Qualities of the Five Great Elements; Description of Sudarśana-dvīpa and Mount Meru

Devanagari script

कर्णद्वीपशिलो विप्राः श्रीमान्मलयपर्वतः । एतद्द्वितीयं द्वीपस्य दृश्यते शशिसंस्थितम्

Transliteration

karṇadvīpaśilo viprāḥ śrīmānmalayaparvataḥ | etaddvitīyaṃ dvīpasya dṛśyate śaśisaṃsthitam

Translation

ఓ విప్రులారా, కర్ణద్వీపానికి శిలారూపమైన ఉన్నత భాగం శ్రీమాన్ మలయపర్వతము. ఇది ద్వీపానికి రెండవ లక్షణం; చంద్రస్థితివలె స్థితమై కనిపిస్తుంది.

Word by Word

• कर्णद्वीपशिलः: the rock/stone (named) of Karṇadvīpa
• कर्णद्वीपशिलः: Karta (कर्ता) / Topic (uddeśya)
• Type: Noun
• Root: कर्णद्वीप (प्रातिपदिक; कर्ण + द्वीप, तत्पुरुष) + शिल (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Determinative compound (तत्पुरुष; likely षष्ठी: ‘rock/stone of Karṇadvīpa’); Masculine (पुंलिङ्ग), Nominative (1st/प्रथमा), Singular (एकवचन)

• विप्राः: O brāhmaṇas
• विप्राः: Sambodhana (सम्बोधन)
• Type: Noun
• Root: विप्र (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Masculine (पुंलिङ्ग), Vocative (8th/सम्बोधन), Plural (बहुवचन)

• श्रीमान्: splendid, illustrious
• श्रीमान्: Viśeṣaṇa (विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: श्रीमत् (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Masculine (पुंलिङ्ग), Nominative (1st/प्रथमा), Singular (एकवचन); agrees with मलयपर्वतः

• मलयपर्वतः: the Malaya mountain
• मलयपर्वतः: Karta (कर्ता) / Topic (uddeśya)
• Type: Noun
• Root: मलय (प्रातिपदिक) + पर्वत (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Determinative compound (कर्मधारय/तत्पुरुष in sense ‘Malaya mountain’); Masculine (पुंलिङ्ग), Nominative (1st/प्रथमा), Singular (एकवचन)

• एतत्: this
• एतत्: Viśeṣaṇa (विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: एतद् (सर्वनाम प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Demonstrative; Neuter (नपुंसकलिङ्ग), Nominative (1st/प्रथमा), Singular (एकवचन); agrees with द्वितीयम्

• द्वितीयम्: the second (one)
• द्वितीयम्: Karta (कर्ता) / Predicate-noun
• Type: Noun
• Root: द्वितीय (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Ordinal used substantively; Neuter (नपुंसकलिङ्ग), Nominative (1st/प्रथमा), Singular (एकवचन)

• द्वीपस्य: of the island/continent
• द्वीपस्य: Sambandha (सम्बन्ध/Genitive relation)
• Type: Noun
• Root: द्वीप (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Masculine (पुंलिङ्ग), Genitive (6th/षष्ठी), Singular (एकवचन)

• दृश्यते: is seen/appears
• दृश्यते: Kriyā (क्रिया); Karta implicit (it is seen)
• Type: Verb
• Root: दृश् (धातु)
• Form: Present tense (लट्), Passive voice (कर्मणि प्रयोग), 3rd person (प्रथमपुरुष), Singular (एकवचन)

• शशिसंस्थितम्: situated in/like the moon (moon-positioned)
• शशिसंस्थितम्: Viśeṣaṇa (विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: शशि (प्रातिपदिक) + संस्थित (कृदन्त; स्था धातु + सम्-उपसर्ग + क्त)
• Form: Determinative compound (तत्पुरुष: ‘situated like/in the moon’ or ‘moon-situated’); Neuter (नपुंसकलिङ्ग), Nominative (1st/प्रथमा), Singular (एकवचन); agrees with एतत् द्वितीयम्

Speaker

Unspecified (narrator addressing brāhmaṇas: 'viprāḥ')

Verse Rasa

Primary Rasa: adbhuta

Secondary Rasa: shanta

Geographic Context

Type: mountain

Sandhi Resolution Notes

Sandhi Resolution Notes: कर्णद्वीपशिलो → कर्णद्वीपशिलः. श्रीमान्मलयपर्वतः → श्रीमान् मलयपर्वतः.

Characters & Entities

• Malayaparvata
• Karṇadvīpa

FAQs

What does this verse reveal about the geography described in the Padma Purana?

It presents a Purāṇic cosmographical mapping in which an island (Karṇadvīpa) is characterized by notable landforms, specifically a prominent rocky mountain (Malayaparvata) treated as a key “second” feature of that dvīpa.

Why is the mountain said to be 'situated like the moon' (śaśisaṃsthitam)?

The phrase suggests a simile of placement or appearance—implying a conspicuous, luminous, or centrally noticeable position of the feature within the island’s layout, comparable to how the moon stands out in the sky.

Is there a direct ethical or bhakti teaching in this verse?

Not explicitly. This śloka is primarily descriptive (cosmography/geography). Any devotional or ethical takeaway would be indirect—e.g., encouraging reverence for the Purāṇic sacred world and its divinely ordered structure.