Shloka 7

Adhyaya 60 — Surya Worship

Sanskrit

मेरुवर्षं मया प्रोक्तं मध्यमं यदिलावृतम् ।

न तत्र सूर्यस्तपति न ते जीर्यन्ति मानवाः ॥

Transliteration

meru-varṣaṃ mayā proktaṃ madhyamaṃ yad ilāvṛtam | na tatra sūryas tapati na te jīryanti mānavāḥ ||

Translation

ข้าพเจ้าได้พรรณนาถึงแดนเมรุ คือแผ่นดินกลางที่เรียกว่าอิลาวฤต ที่นั่นดวงอาทิตย์ไม่แผดเผา และมนุษย์ที่นั่นไม่แก่ชรา

Word by Word

• मेरुवर्षम्: Meruvarṣa (a region)
• मेरुवर्षम्: कर्म (Karma/Object)
• Type: Noun
• Root: मेरु-वर्ष (प्रातिपदिक; मेरु + वर्ष)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति, एकवचन

• मया: by me
• मया: करण (Karaṇa/Instrument; agent in passive sense)
• Type: Noun
• Root: अस्मद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग/स्त्रीलिङ्ग, तृतीया-विभक्ति (Instrumental/तृतीया), एकवचन

• प्रोक्तम्: told/declared
• प्रोक्तम्: क्रियाविशेषण/विधेय (predicative participle)
• Type: Verb
• Root: प्र + वच् (धातु) → प्रोक्त (भूतकर्मणि कृदन्त/क्त)
• Form: क्त-प्रत्ययान्त भूतकर्मणि कृदन्त (past passive participle), नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया, एकवचन; (मेरुवर्षम् इति कर्म, प्रोक्तम् इति विधेय)

• मध्यमम्: middle/central
• मध्यमम्: विशेषण (qualifier of मेरुवर्षम्)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: मध्यम (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति, एकवचन; विशेषण (agreeing with मेरुवर्षम्)

• यत्: which
• यत्: सम्बन्ध (relative connector)
• Type: Noun
• Root: यद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन; सम्बन्धसूचक (relative pronoun)

• इलावृतम्: Ilāvṛta (name of a region)
• इलावृतम्: समनाधिकरण (apposition with यत्)
• Type: Noun
• Root: इलावृत (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन; (यत् इत्यस्य विशेष्य/समनाधिकरण)

• न: not
• न: निषेध (negation)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: न (अव्यय)
• Form: निषेध-अव्यय (negation particle)

• तत्र: there
• तत्र: अधिकरण (Adhikaraṇa/Location)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: तत्र (अव्यय)
• Form: देशवाचक-अव्यय (locative adverb)

• सूर्यः: the sun
• सूर्यः: कर्ता (Karta/Subject)
• Type: Noun
• Root: सूर्य (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन

• तपति: shines/burns
• तपति: क्रिया (verbal predicate)
• Type: Verb
• Root: तप् (धातु)
• Form: लट्-लकार (Present/लट्), परस्मैपद, प्रथमपुरुष, एकवचन

• न: not
• न: निषेध (negation)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: न (अव्यय)
• Form: निषेध-अव्यय (negation particle)

• ते: they
• ते: कर्ता (Karta/Subject)
• Type: Noun
• Root: तद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, बहुवचन

• जीर्यन्ति: grow old/decay
• जीर्यन्ति: क्रिया (verbal predicate)
• Type: Verb
• Root: जॄ (धातु)
• Form: लट्-लकार (Present/लट्), परस्मैपद, प्रथमपुरुष, बहुवचन

• मानवाः: humans
• मानवाः: कर्ता (Karta/Subject)
• Type: Noun
• Root: मानव (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, बहुवचन

Speakers

• Puranic narrator describing cosmic geography (frame-speaker not explicit in the provided excerpt)

Verse Rasa

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

Key Themes

• Cosmology
• Sacred Geography
• Meru
• Ilāvṛta
• Non-scorching sun motif
• Agelessness

FAQs

What is the philosophical or ethical takeaway?

The ‘center’ (madhyama) is portrayed as balanced—neither harsh heat nor decay—reflecting the Purāṇic ideal of the middle as harmony and stability, akin to dharmic equilibrium.

How does this fit the Pancalakshana (5 characteristics)?

Again chiefly cosmography within sarga/pratisarga-oriented description: the world’s central axis (Meru) and the properties of its surrounding land.

What is the esoteric significance?

Meru as axis mundi corresponds to the inner ‘spinal axis’/suṣumṇā in later yogic readings; ‘sun not scorching’ suggests transformed tejas—illumination without burning, i.e., wisdom without agitation.