Shloka 11

Adhyaya 58 — The Kurma-Form of Narayana: Mapping Bharata through Nakshatras, Regions, and Planetary Afflictions

Sanskrit

वृषध्वजोऽञ्जनश्चैव जम्ब्वाख्यो मानवाचलः ।

शूर्पकर्णो व्याघ्रमुखः खर्मकः करवटाशनः ॥

Transliteration

vṛṣadhvajo 'ñjanaś caiva jambvākhyo mānavācalaḥ | śūrpakarṇo vyāghramukhaḥ kharmakaḥ karvaṭāśanaḥ ||

Translation

（又有）弗利沙陀伐阇（Vṛṣadhvaja）与阿阇那（Añjana）；阎婆婆佉耶（Jambvākhya）与摩那婆遮罗（Mānavācala）；舒尔帕迦耳那（Śūrpakarṇa）、毗耶伽罗目佉（Vyāghramukha）、卡尔摩迦（Kharmaka）与迦尔伐塔阿舍那（Karvaṭāśana）。

Word by Word

• vṛṣadhvajaḥ: Vṛṣadhvaja
• vṛṣadhvajaḥ: Karta (कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: vṛṣa + dhvaja (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Masculine, Nominative (1st/प्रथमा), Singular; समासः—तत्पुरुषः (षष्ठी-सम्बन्धः/कर्मधारय-प्रायः), ‘वृषस्य ध्वजः’/‘वृष-ध्वज’ (name/epithet)

• añjanaḥ: Añjana
• añjanaḥ: Karta (कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: añjana (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Masculine, Nominative (1st/प्रथमा), Singular

• ca: and
• ca: Sambandha (सम्बन्ध/समुच्चय)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: ca (अव्यय)
• Form: Avyaya; conjunction (समुच्चय)

• eva: indeed
• eva: Sambandha (सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: eva (अव्यय)
• Form: Avyaya; emphatic particle (अवधारण)

• jambvākhyaḥ: Jambvākhyā (named Jambu)
• jambvākhyaḥ: Karta (कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: jambu + ākhya (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Masculine, Nominative (1st/प्रथमा), Singular; समासः—तत्पुरुषः, ‘जम्बु-आख्य’ = ‘named Jambu’

• mānavācalaḥ: Mānavācala (the Mānavā mountain)
• mānavācalaḥ: Karta (कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: mānava + acala (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Masculine, Nominative (1st/प्रथमा), Singular; समासः—तत्पुरुषः/कर्मधारय, ‘मानवः अचलः’/‘मानव-नामकः अचलः’

• śūrpakarṇaḥ: Śūrpakarṇa (one with winnow-like ears)
• śūrpakarṇaḥ: Karta (कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: śūrpa + karṇa (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Masculine, Nominative (1st/प्रथमा), Singular; समासः—बहुव्रीहिः, ‘शूर्पवत् कर्णौ यस्य सः’

• vyāghramukhaḥ: Vyāghramukha (tiger-faced)
• vyāghramukhaḥ: Karta (कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: vyāghra + mukha (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Masculine, Nominative (1st/प्रथमा), Singular; समासः—बहुव्रीहिः, ‘व्याघ्रवत् मुखं यस्य सः’

• kharmakaḥ: Kharmaka
• kharmakaḥ: Karta (कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: kharmaka (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Masculine, Nominative (1st/प्रथमा), Singular

• karvaṭāśanaḥ: Karvaṭāśana
• karvaṭāśanaḥ: Karta (कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: karvaṭa + āśana (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Masculine, Nominative (1st/प्रथमा), Singular; समासः—तत्पुरुषः, ‘करवटं (पर्वत-प्रदेशम्) आश्रयति/अश्नाति’ इति नाम

Speakers

• Mārkaṇḍeya

Verse Rasa

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

Primary Deities

• Viṣṇu (Kūrma)

Key Themes

• Toponymy
• Mountain lore
• Ethnographic catalogues

FAQs

What is the philosophical or ethical takeaway?

Such lists preserve a memory of sacred landscapes—mountains and regions as carriers of identity. The ethical valence is indirect: landscapes are treated as meaningful, encouraging a sacral regard for place.

How does this fit the Pancalakshana (5 characteristics)?

Sthiti—descriptive geography; these enumerations support the Purāṇic world-map tradition.

What is the esoteric significance?

Mountains often symbolize stability and axis-like support. Naming them within the Kūrma scheme implies that ‘fixed’ features of the world participate in a living cosmic body.