Shloka 37
Adhyāya 6: Pañca-mahābhūta–guṇa-nirdeśa and Sudarśana-dvīpa
Five Elements, Sensory Qualities, and a Cosmographic Island
नीलात् परतरं श्रैतं श्वेताद्धैरण्यकं परम् | वर्षमैरावतं राजन् नानाजनपदावृतम्,नील पर्वतसे उत्तर श्वेतवर्ष और श्वेतवर्षसे उत्तर हिरण्यकवर्ष है। तत्पश्चात् शृंगवान् पर्ववसे आगे ऐरावत नामक वर्ष है। राजन! वह अनेकानेक जनपदोंसे भरा हुआ है
nīlāt parataraṃ śvaitaṃ śvetād dhairaṇyakaṃ param | varṣam airāvataṃ rājan nānājanapadāvṛtam ||
三阇耶说道：“越过尼罗（Nīla）是室伐多（Śvaita）；越过室吠多（Śveta）则为名曰海兰尼迦（Hairaṇyaka）之地。其后，大王啊，便是名为爱罗伐多（Airāvata）的国土，遍布众多而各异的邦国与聚落。”在这段宇宙地理的叙述中，三阇耶依次描绘北方诸域，强调世界广袤而有序，并呈现其中人群的多样。
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse conveys an ordered vision of the world: regions are described in sequence, and the king is reminded that the earth is vast and populated by diverse communities (janapadas). It implicitly supports the idea that righteous rule must account for the breadth and variety of peoples under a sovereign’s moral horizon.
Sañjaya is describing successive northern regions (varṣas) beyond one another—Śvaita beyond Nīla, Hairaṇyaka beyond Śveta, and then Airāvata—characterizing Airāvata as filled with many provinces and settlements.