Srimad Bhagavatam — Panchama Skandha, Shloka 2
Bhū-maṇḍala as a Lotus: Jambūdvīpa, Ilāvṛta, and the Meru System
Mountains, Rivers, Lakes, and Brahmapurī
तत्रापि प्रियव्रतरथचरणपरिखातै: सप्तभि: सप्त सिन्धव उपक्लृप्ता यत एतस्या: सप्तद्वीपविशेषविकल्पस्त्वया भगवन् खलु सूचित एतदेवाखिलमहं मानतो लक्षणतश्च सर्वं विजिज्ञासामि ॥ २ ॥
tatrāpi priyavrata-ratha-caraṇa-parikhātaiḥ saptabhiḥ sapta sindhava upakḷptā yata etasyāḥ sapta-dvīpa-viśeṣa-vikalpas tvayā bhagavan khalu sūcita etad evākhilam ahaṁ mānato lakṣaṇataś ca sarvaṁ vi-jijñāsāmi.
我主啊，摩诃罗阇·普利耶弗拉塔战车的车轮刻出七道沟壑，于是七大海洋由此显现；因这七海，布胡曼陀罗被分为七大洲。您已概略说明其尺度、名称与特征；如今我愿详尽知晓，恳请满足我的愿望。
FAQs
This verse shows Parīkṣit Mahārāja requesting a complete explanation—measurements and defining features—of the earth’s division into seven distinct dvīpas, which Śukadeva has begun to indicate.
Because the narrative links the formation of seven major rivers to Priyavrata’s chariot tracks, Parīkṣit seeks a clearer, systematic understanding of Jambūdvīpa’s geography and the seven-dvīpa arrangement.
It models sincere, structured inquiry: when spiritual teachings are introduced, a devotee should ask to understand them thoroughly—both the “measurements” (facts) and the “characteristics” (meaning and purpose).