Śāka Dvīpa is the second great dvīpa (island-continent) of the Sapta Dvīpa, the seven dvīpas. It is twice the size of Jambū Dvīpa, and the Kshīra Sāgara (Milk Ocean) surrounds it. The Bhīshma Parva of the Mahābhārata describes it as a land without death, famine or drought, where Bhagavān Śrī Kṛshṇa lives. His dark (śyāma) colour gives the dvīpa and its Śyāma mountain their dark look. Śaṅkara (Bhagavān Śiva) is the chief deva worshipped there. The dvīpa takes its name from a great Śāka tree at its centre.

Size and location

Śāka Dvīpa is twice the size of Jambū Dvīpa. Jambū Dvīpa measures 18,600 yojanas, and Śāka Dvīpa is twice that. The ocean around Śāka Dvīpa, the Kshīra Sāgara, is also twice the size of the Lavaṇa Sāgara that surrounds Jambū Dvīpa.

The name: the Śāka tree

At the centre of the dvīpa stands a great Śāka vṛksha (teak tree). Its size matches that of Jambū Dvīpa. The people of the dvīpa honour this tree as their sacred sign, and the dvīpa takes its name from it.

The character of the dvīpa

There is no death (mṛtyu) in the proper sacred regions of Śāka Dvīpa.
There is no famine or drought. Famines (kāṭakālu) cannot exist there.
The people have forbearance, endurance and tejas (inner radiance).
Siddhas, Cāraṇas and other devī-gaṇas come to visit Śāka Dvīpa.
The four varṇas and four āśramas are kept there perfectly.
There are no thieves (donga) among the people.
The people live long and in prosperity.

The seven mountains

Śāka Dvīpa has seven mountains studded with gems. Sañjaya names them:

Meru: the chief mountain, also present in Śāka Dvīpa, served by gandharvas; it runs from east to west.
Malaya: the source of all clouds. Indra draws water for rain from this mountain.
Jaladhāra: a great mountain from which Indra gathers the best water for rain.
Raivata: on this mountain the Revatī nakshatra (star) is fixed in the sky for ever, by the decree of Brahmā.
Śyāma: a dark mountain, the colour of a cloud. Its presence gives the people of that region their dark colour.
Durgā: very high and hard to reach.
Kīsara: a wind blows from this mountain carrying the scent of the kīsari (saffron or kuṅkuma flower).

The mountains grow in size one after the other. Each is twice as wide as the one before it.

Bhagavān Śrī Kṛshṇa lives here

Dhṛtarāshṭra asks Sañjaya why the people near the Śyāma mountain are dark in colour (śyāma varṇa). Sañjaya answers that Bhagavān Śrī Kṛshṇa himself lives in Śāka Dvīpa. His dark divine colour shines through the whole dvīpa and gives the mountain and its people their dark colour. Sañjaya says:

Ī dvīpamunandu śrīkṛshṇa bhagavānuḍu nivasistunaḍu.

The meaning is: in this dvīpa Bhagavān Śrī Kṛshṇa lives.

The four regions and four varṇas

Śāka Dvīpa has four regions (deśālu). Each has its own group of people:

Region	Inhabitants
Maṅga	Brāhmaṇas, very devoted to brāhmaṇa dharma
Maśaka	Kshatriyas, who fulfil all desires and are very dharmic
Mānasa	Vaiśyas, prosperous and brave, knowers of dharma and artha
Mandaga	Śūdras, who are dharmic

There is no king in Śāka Dvīpa, no power to punish (daṇḍa) and no force to command. The people protect one another by keeping their own dharma.

The rivers

Among the rivers of Śāka Dvīpa are:

Sukumārī
Kumārī
Śītāśī
Veṇikā
Mahānadī
Maṇijalā
Caturvardhanikā

Indra draws water from these rivers for rain. The Gaṅgā also flows through Śāka Dvīpa in many streams. The rivers are countless and are held sacred.

Worship of Śaṅkara

The chief deva worshipped in Śāka Dvīpa is Śaṅkara, who is Bhagavān Śiva. The Bhīshma Parva says that the people worship him as the sovereign of this realm.

Sources

Mahābhārata, Bhīshma Parva, Chapter 11