Shloka 11

सप्तद्वीप-समुद्र-प्रमाणम्: प्लक्षादि-द्वीपवर्णनं, लोकालोक-सीमा, चन्द्र-समुद्र-वृद्धिक्षयः

Devanagari script

अनुतप्ता शिखी चैव विपाशा त्रिदिवा क्रमुः अमृता सुकृता चैव सप्तैतास् तत्र निम्नगाः

Transliteration

anutaptā śikhī caiva vipāśā tridivā kramuḥ amṛtā sukṛtā caiva saptaitās tatra nimnagāḥ

Translation

Ở đó cũng có bảy dòng sông thiêng chảy mãi—Anutaptā và Śikhī; Vipāśā và Tridivā; Kramu; cùng Amṛtā và Sukṛtā—bảy dòng nước xuôi này nâng đỡ và nuôi dưỡng miền ấy.

Word by Word

अनुतप्ताAnutaptā (name of a river)

शिखीŚikhī (name of a river)

चand

एवindeed/just

विपाशाVipāśā (name of a river)

त्रिदिवाTridivā (name of a river)

क्रमुःKramuḥ (name of a river)

अमृताAmṛtā (name of a river)

सुकृताSukṛtā (name of a river)

चand

एवindeed/just

सप्तseven

एताःthese (f.)

तत्रthere

निम्नगाःrivers (flowing downward)

Speaker

Sage Parāśara (narrating to Maitreya)

Characters & Entities

Sage Parāśara

Maitreya

Anutaptā (river)

Śikhī (river)

Vipāśā (river)

Tridivā (river)

Kramu (river)

Amṛtā (river)

Sukṛtā (river)

FAQs

What is the significance of listing rivers in the Vishnu Purana?

The river lists function as sacred cosmography—showing how the world is structured and sustained, with rivers portrayed as life-giving channels within the divinely ordered universe.

How does Sage Parāśara explain the world’s order in this section?

Parāśara presents geography as part of cosmic law: lands are defined by mountains and nourished by named rivers, reflecting an intelligible, hierarchical order ultimately upheld by Vishnu.

What is Lord Vishnu’s theological importance in this context of rivers and geography?

Even when Vishnu is not named in the verse, the cosmological catalog serves Vaishnava theology by depicting creation as a coherent system—an expression of Vishnu’s supreme governance and sustaining power.