The Five Elements and the Island Sudarshana

Verse 1 (6.5.1)

नदीनां पर्वतानां च नामधेयानि संजय । तथा जनपदानां च ये चान्ये भूमिमाश्रिताः ॥

nadīnāṃ parvatānāṃ ca nāmadheyāni saṃjaya | tathā janapadānāṃ ca ye cānye bhūmimāśritāḥ

Sanjaya, tell me the names of the rivers and the mountains, and of the countries, and of all else that rests upon the earth;

Verse 2 (6.5.2)

प्रमाणं च प्रमाणज्ञ पृथिव्या मम सर्वतः । निखिलेन समाचक्ष्व काननानि च संजय ॥

pramāṇaṃ ca pramāṇajña pṛthivyā mama sarvataḥ | nikhilena samācakṣva kānanāni ca saṃjaya

and, you who know measures, give me the full measure of the earth on every side, and tell me of its forests too, Sanjaya, leaving nothing out.

Verse 3 (6.5.3)

पञ्चेमानि महाराज महाभूतानि संग्रहात् । जगतीस्थानि सर्वाणि समान्याहुर्मनीषिणः ॥

pañcemāni mahārāja mahābhūtāni saṃgrahāt | jagatīsthāni sarvāṇi samānyāhurmanīṣiṇaḥ

Great king, in brief there are these five great elements. The wise say that they abide throughout the world, and that they are alike in all things.

Verse 4 (6.5.4)

भूमिरापस्तथा वायुरग्निराकाशमेव च । गुणोत्तराणि सर्वाणि तेषां भूमिः प्रधानतः ॥

bhūmirāpastathā vāyuragnirākāśameva ca | guṇottarāṇi sarvāṇi teṣāṃ bhūmiḥ pradhānataḥ

They are earth, water, air, fire and space. Each excels the next in its qualities, and of them earth is the chief.

Verse 5 (6.5.5)

शब्दः स्पर्शश्च रूपं च रसो गन्धश्च पञ्चमः । भूमेरेते गुणाः प्रोक्ता ऋषिभिस्तत्त्ववेदिभिः ॥

śabdaḥ sparśaśca rūpaṃ ca raso gandhaśca pañcamaḥ | bhūmerete guṇāḥ proktā ṛṣibhistattvavedibhiḥ

Sound, touch, form, taste and, fifth, smell: these are declared by the seers who know the truth to be the qualities of earth.

Note on the text: Corrected तत्त्ववेदिभिःक → तत्त्ववेदिभिः (misprint in Wikisource; stray क after the word, critical edition tattvavedibhiḥ).

Verse 6 (6.5.6)

चत्वारोऽप्सु गुणा राजन्गन्धस्तत्र न विद्यते । शब्दः स्पर्शश्च रूपं च तेजसोऽथ गुणास्त्रयः । शब्दः स्पर्शश्च वायौ द्वौ आकाशे शब्द एव तु ॥

catvāro'psu guṇā rājangandhastatra na vidyate | śabdaḥ sparśaśca rūpaṃ ca tejaso'tha guṇāstrayaḥ | śabdaḥ sparśaśca vāyau dvau ākāśe śabda eva tu

Water has four qualities, O king; smell is not found in it. Fire has three qualities: sound, touch and form. Air has two, sound and touch; and in space there is sound alone.

Note on the text: Corrected अकाशे → आकाशे (misprint in Wikisource; short vowel for long, critical edition ākāśe).

Verse 7 (6.5.7)

एते पञ्च गुणा राजन्महाभूतेषु पञ्चसु । वर्तन्ते सर्वलोकेषु येषु भूताः प्रतिष्ठिताः ॥

ete pañca guṇā rājanmahābhūteṣu pañcasu | vartante sarvalokeṣu yeṣu bhūtāḥ pratiṣṭhitāḥ

These five qualities, O king, reside in the five great elements throughout all the worlds, and in them beings are established.

Verse 8 (6.5.8)

अन्योन्यं नाभिवर्तन्ते साम्यं भवति वै यदा ॥

anyonyaṃ nābhivartante sāmyaṃ bhavati vai yadā

So long as there is balance among them, they do not encroach upon one another.

Note on the text: The page prints this single line as a verse of its own, with a verse-end mark (numbered 6-5-8a); the critical edition's 6.6.8 joins it with the two lines of the next verse. Kept as the page divides it.

Verse 9 (6.5.9)

यदा तु विषमीभावमाविशन्ति परस्परम् । तदा देहैर्देहवन्तो व्यतिरोहन्ति नान्यथा ॥

yadā tu viṣamībhāvamāviśanti parasparam | tadā dehairdehavanto vyatirohanti nānyathā

But when they fall into imbalance with one another, then embodied beings are parted from their bodies, and not otherwise.

Note on the text: The critical edition's 6.6.8cd–ef (see verse 8).

Verse 10 (6.5.10)

आनुपूर्व्या विनश्यन्ति जायन्ते चानुपूर्वशः । सर्वाण्यपरिमेयाणि तदेषां रूपमैश्वरम् ॥

ānupūrvyā vinaśyanti jāyante cānupūrvaśaḥ | sarvāṇyaparimeyāṇi tadeṣāṃ rūpamaiśvaram

In due order they perish, and in due order they come into being. All of them are beyond measure; that is their sovereign form.

Note on the text: Corrected सर्वाम्यपरिमेयाणि → सर्वाण्यपरिमेयाणि (misprint in Wikisource; म for ण, critical edition sarvāṇy aparimeyāni).

Verse 11 (6.5.11)

तत्रतत्र हि दृश्यन्ते धातवः पाञ्चभौतिकाः । तेषां मनुष्यास्तर्केण प्रमाणानि प्रचक्षते ॥

tatratatra hi dṛśyante dhātavaḥ pāñcabhautikāḥ | teṣāṃ manuṣyāstarkeṇa pramāṇāni pracakṣate

Here and there are seen the substances made of the five elements; men set out their measures by reasoning.

Verse 12 (6.5.12)

अचिन्त्याः खलु ये भावा न तांस्तर्केण साधयेत् । प्रकृतिभ्यः परं यत्तु तदचिन्त्यस्य लक्षणम् ॥

acintyāḥ khalu ye bhāvā na tāṃstarkeṇa sādhayet | prakṛtibhyaḥ paraṃ yattu tadacintyasya lakṣaṇam

But things that are beyond thought should not be settled by reasoning. Whatever lies beyond the primal natures, that is the mark of the unthinkable.

Verse 13 (6.5.13)

सुदर्शनं प्रवक्ष्यामि द्वीपं तु कुरुनन्दन । परिमण्डलो महाराज द्वीपोऽसौ चक्रसंस्थितः ॥

sudarśanaṃ pravakṣyāmi dvīpaṃ tu kurunandana | parimaṇḍalo mahārāja dvīpo'sau cakrasaṃsthitaḥ

Now, joy of the Kurus, I will describe the island Sudarshana. That island, great king, is round, set like a wheel.

Verse 14 (6.5.14)

नदीजालप्रतिच्छन्नः पर्वतैश्चाभ्रसन्निभैः । पुरैश्च विविधाकारै रम्यैर्जनपदैस्तथा ॥

nadījālapraticchannaḥ parvataiścābhrasannibhaiḥ | puraiśca vividhākārai ramyairjanapadaistathā

It is covered with a network of rivers and with mountains like clouds, with cities of many shapes and with lovely countries,

Verse 15 (6.5.15)

वृक्षैः पुष्पफलोपेतैः संपन्नधनधान्यवान् । लवणेन समुद्रेण समन्तात्परिवारितः ॥

vṛkṣaiḥ puṣpaphalopetaiḥ saṃpannadhanadhānyavān | lavaṇena samudreṇa samantātparivāritaḥ

with trees laden with flowers and fruit; it is rich in wealth and grain, and on every side it is encircled by the salt ocean.

Verse 16 (6.5.16)

यथा हि पुरुषः पश्येदादर्शे मुखमात्मनः । एवं सुदर्शनद्वीपो दृश्यते चन्द्रमण्डले ॥

yathā hi puruṣaḥ paśyedādarśe mukhamātmanaḥ | evaṃ sudarśanadvīpo dṛśyate candramaṇḍale

Just as a man may see his own face in a mirror, so the island Sudarshana is seen in the disc of the moon.

Verse 17 (6.5.17)

द्विरंशस्तु ततः प्लक्षो द्विरंशः शाल्मलिर्महान् । द्विरंशः पिप्पलस्तस्य द्विरंशश्च कुशो महान् । सर्वौषधिसमापन्नः पर्वतैः परिवारितः ॥

dviraṃśastu tataḥ plakṣo dviraṃśaḥ śālmalirmahān | dviraṃśaḥ pippalastasya dviraṃśaśca kuśo mahān | sarvauṣadhisamāpannaḥ parvataiḥ parivāritaḥ

Then in two parts of it is the Plaksha, in two parts the great Shalmali; in two parts is its Pippala, and in two parts the great Kusha, rich in every herb and girded by mountains.

Note on the text: Line 1 (the Plaksha and the Shalmali) is not in the critical edition (found in the vulgate recension); lines 2–3 are a variant of the critical edition's 6.6.16ab–cd (dvir aṃśe pippalas tatra dvir aṃśe ca śaśo mahān / sarvauṣadhisamāvāpaiḥ sarvataḥ paribṛṃhitaḥ). Corrected द्विरशस्तु → द्विरंशस्तु (misprint in Wikisource; dropped anusvara, as in the verse's other three द्विरंशः).

Verse 18 (6.5.18)

आपस्ततोऽन्या विज्ञेयाः शेषः संक्षेप उच्यते । ततोऽन्य उच्यते चायमेनं संक्षेपतः शृणु ॥

āpastato'nyā vijñeyāḥ śeṣaḥ saṃkṣepa ucyate | tato'nya ucyate cāyamenaṃ saṃkṣepataḥ śṛṇu

The rest is to be known as water. So much is told in brief. What lies beyond it is now described; hear it in brief.

Note on the text: Line 1 is the critical edition's 6.6.16ef (शेषः for eṣa); line 2 is its star passage 6.6.16f*0022, not in the constituted text. Corrected श्रृणु → शृणु (misprint in Wikisource; श्रृ for शृ).