Shloka 3
Description of Continents, Oceans, Regions, and the Measure of the World
परस्परेण द्विगुणाः सर्वे द्वीपा द्विजर्षभाः । पर्वताश्च महाप्राज्ञाः समुद्रैः परिवारिताः
paraspareṇa dviguṇāḥ sarve dvīpā dvijarṣabhāḥ | parvatāśca mahāprājñāḥ samudraiḥ parivāritāḥ
హే ద్విజశ్రేష్ఠులారా! అన్ని ద్వీపాలు పరస్పరం ముందున్నదానికంటే రెండింతల పరిమాణములు కలవై ఉన్నాయి; హే మహాప్రాజ్ఞా, పర్వతములు సముద్రాలతో చుట్టుముట్టబడి ఉన్నాయి।
Unspecified narrator (Paurāṇic speaker addressing a Brahmin interlocutor)
Concept: Creation is structured, proportionate, and upheld by divine order; contemplating cosmic measure steadies the mind.
Application: Use ‘scale contemplation’ to reduce ego and anxiety: reflect daily on the vastness of creation and act with humility and responsibility in one’s limited sphere.
Primary Rasa: adbhuta
Secondary Rasa: shanta
Type: celestial_realm
Visual Art Cues: {"scene_description":"A vast, map-like cosmic vista shows concentric continents, each larger than the last, separated by shining circular oceans. Mountain ranges rise like jeweled ribs on each ring, while the whole system appears as a sacred mandala suspended in luminous space.","primary_figures":["Personified Ocean-deities","Mountain-deities (giri-devatā)","Nārāyaṇa as cosmic overseer (subtle, in the upper register)"],"setting":"Celestial mandala of sapta-dvīpas and sapta-samudras, viewed from above like a divine cosmogram; ringed mountains and oceans forming perfect circles.","lighting_mood":"divine radiance","color_palette":["sapphire blue","sea-green","pearl white","gold leaf","smoky amethyst"],"tanjore_prompt":"Tanjore painting style: a concentric sapta-dvīpa mandala with oceans as glossy blue rings, mountains as gold-embossed ridges, subtle Nārāyaṇa in the top center blessing the cosmos; heavy gold leaf embellishment, rich reds/greens in border, gem-studded ornament motifs framing the cosmogram, traditional South Indian iconographic symmetry.","pahari_prompt":"Pahari miniature style: delicate aerial cosmography of ringed continents and oceans, fine linework for mountain chains, cool blues and greens with soft washes, lyrical clouds and Himalayan-like peaks at the edges, refined celestial figures personifying oceans, understated Nārāyaṇa in a pale aureole.","kerala_mural_prompt":"Kerala mural style: bold black outlines forming concentric dvīpa rings, oceans in deep blue-green bands, mountains in ochre and green with stylized foliage, divine radiance haloing the whole mandala; temple-wall aesthetic with rhythmic patterning and iconic, wide-eyed ocean/mountain deities.","pichwai_prompt":"Pichwai cloth painting style: a lotus-mandala cosmogram where dvīpa rings resemble layered lotus petals, intricate floral borders, peacocks and sacred motifs in corners, deep indigo oceans with gold highlights; subtle Vaishnava center medallion suggesting Nārāyaṇa’s protection of the ordered world."}
Audio Atmosphere: {"recitation_mood":"meditative","suggested_raga":"Yaman","pace":"slow-meditative","voice_tone":"authoritative","sound_elements":["low temple drone","conch shell (soft, distant)","silence between pādas","gentle wind"]}
Sandhi Resolution Notes: parvatāśca→parvatāḥ ca; no other mandatory sandhi splits.
FAQs
It presents a cosmographic model where each dvīpa (continent/island-region) is described as twice the size of the previous one, with oceans forming enclosing boundaries around these regions.
“Dvijarṣabha” literally means “bull among the twice-born,” a respectful epithet for an eminent Brahmin or learned interlocutor being addressed in the discourse.
Not explicitly. This verse is primarily descriptive (cosmography), setting a framework for understanding the Purāṇic universe rather than giving a direct devotional or moral injunction.