Bhūgola in the Narasiṃha Purāṇa
Bhūgola means “the sphere of the earth”. It is the traditional picture of the shape and layout of the universe. Chapter 30 of the Narasiṃha Purāṇa gives a full description of it: the seven dvīpas (island-continents) and seven oceans, Mount Meru with its three peaks, the twenty-one svargas (higher worlds of reward) on top of Meru, the eight cities of the lokapālas (guardians of the directions), the ten paths to svarga, and the movement of Sūrya (the Sun).
The chapter names Bhāratavarṣa as the only karma-bhūmi, the only land of action, among all the continents and regions. The teaching is given by Sūta to the munis gathered in the Naimiṣa forest (Naimiṣāraṇya).
The Seven Dvīpas and Seven Oceans
The universe is arranged around seven great islands (dvīpas) and seven oceans that ring them. The seven dvīpas are Jambū, Plakṣa, Śālmala, Kuśa, Krauñca, Śāka and Puṣkara. Jambūdvīpa is the innermost and measures one lakh (one hundred thousand) yojanas across. (A yojana is an ancient measure of distance.) Each dvīpa after it is twice the size of the one before.
The seven oceans are named after what their waters are made of: Lavaṇa (salt water), Ikṣurasa (sugarcane juice), Surā (fermented drink), Ghṛta (ghee), Dadhi (curd), Dugdha (milk) and Śuddha-udaka (pure water). Each ocean rings one dvīpa.
The Family Line of the Dvīpas
The dvīpas were shared out by Priyavrata, a son of Manu, who was their king. Priyavrata had ten sons. Three of them took sannyāsa (renunciation) and left. The other seven sons received one dvīpa each. Priyavrata then withdrew to the forest as a vānaprastha (forest-dweller in the third stage of life).
Among Priyavrata’s descendants, Āgnīdhra received Jambūdvīpa. His son Nābhi received the region next to the Himālaya. Nābhi’s son was Ṛṣabha, and Ṛṣabha’s son was Bharata. This land came to be called Bhāratavarṣa after him.
Bhāratavarṣa: The Karma-Bhūmi
Of all the regions, Bhāratavarṣa alone is the karma-bhūmi, the field of action. Here good deeds lead to svarga, niṣkāma-karma (action done without desire for its fruit) leads to mukti (liberation), and wrong deeds lead to the lower worlds. The other eight regions of Jambūdvīpa, such as Kimpuruṣavarṣa, are bhogarāśis: places where beings rich in merit (puṇyavān) enjoy the fruits of their past good deeds. Only those who are firm in their svadharma (own duty) and offer pūjā to Narasiṃha live there. When their puṇya (merit) is used up, they reach mukti.
The Seven Kula-Parvatas of Bhāratavarṣa
The seven main mountain ranges of Bhāratavarṣa are Mahendra, Malaya, Śuktimān, Ṛṣyamūka, Sahya (Sahyādri), Vindhya and Pāriyātra. The main rivers include the Narmadā, Surasā, Ṛṣikulyā, Bhīmarathī, Kṛṣṇaveṇī, Candrabhāgā and Tāmraparṇī, along with the great rivers Gaṅgā, Yamunā, Godāvarī, Tuṅgabhadrā, Kāverī and Sarayū, which remove all pāpa (wrongdoing).
Mount Meru
At the centre of the universe stands Meru Parvata, the golden mountain. Its measurements are:
- Height above the earth: 84,000 yojanas
- Depth below the earth: 16,000 yojanas
- Its top is twice as wide as its base
Meru has three śikharas (peaks): a central peak, an eastern peak and a western peak.
- Central peak: made of crystal (sphaṭika) and vaidūrya gems; 14,000 yojanas high; it holds the svarga called Triviṣṭapa
- Eastern peak: made of indranīla (sapphire) gems; it juts out over Meru like a great umbrella
- Western peak: made of māṇikya (ruby)
The area between the eastern and central peaks lies in darkness. Apsarases (dancers of svarga) of great beauty live in the svarga on Meru’s central peak.
The Eight Cities of the Lokapālas on Meru
The cities of the lokapālas, the guardians of the directions, stand around Mount Meru:
| Direction | Deva | City |
|---|---|---|
| Centre (summit) | Brahmā | Brahma-pura |
| East | Indra | Amarāvatī |
| South-east | Agni | Tejovatī |
| South | Yama | Saṃyamanī |
| South-west | Nirṛti | Bhayaṃkarī |
| West | Varuṇa | Viśvāvatī |
| North-west | Vāyu | Gandhanā |
| North | Candra | Vibhāvarī |
The Twenty-One Svargas
On top of Meru’s peaks are twenty-one svargas. Those who live by dharma live in these svargas: givers of dāna (charity), performers of yajña (sacred fire offering), those who practise tapas (spiritual discipline) and those who are free of anger. The text names the svarga reached through each kind of good deed:
| Good deed | Svarga reached |
|---|---|
| Death by water while protecting dharma | Ānanda |
| Death by fire while protecting dharma | Pramoda |
| Leaping from a mountain peak for dharma | Saukhya |
| Death in battle | Nirmala / Atinirmala |
| Death while fasting or in sannyāsa | Triviṣṭapa |
| Bhūtayajña (offering to all beings) and agnihotra (daily fire offering) | Nāka-pṛṣṭha / Nirvṛti |
| Digging a lake or well | Pauṣṭika |
| Gift of gold | Saubhāgya |
| Lighting a great fire for all beings in winter | Apsara |
| Gift of gold and cows together | Nirahaṃkāra |
| Gift of land (bhū-dāna) | Śāntika |
| Gift of silver | Nirmala |
| Gift of a horse | Puṇyāha |
| Kanyā-dāna (giving a daughter in marriage) | Maṅgala |
| Giving clothes and food to brāhmaṇas | Śveta |
| Gift of a kapilā (tawny) cow | Paramārtha |
| Gift of a bull (vṛṣabha) | Manmatha |
| Bathing in the month of Māgha, with gifts of a cow, umbrella, sandals and sesame | Upaśobhana |
| Building temples, serving brāhmaṇas, going on pilgrimage to tīrthas | Āhlāda (Svarga-rāja) |
| Fasting (one meal a day, nakta-bhojana) | Śubha |
| Bathing in rivers, conquering anger (krodha-jaya), brahmacarya (self-control) | Nirmala |
| Gift of knowledge (vidyā-dāna) | Nirahaṃkāra |
The text also names where the Trimūrti (the three great devas) live on Meru: Brahmā lives on the western peak, Viṣṇu on the eastern peak, and Śiva on the central peak.
The Ten Paths to Svarga
Above the earth, ten paths lead up to svarga, one above the other, in this order:
- Kumārasvāmī (Skanda)
- The Mātṛkās (divine mothers)
- The Siddhas and Gandharvas
- The Vidyādharas
- The Nāga-rāja (king of serpents)
- Garuḍa
- The Pitṛ-gaṇa (the ancestors)
- Dharmarāja (Yama)
- Āditya (Sūrya)
- Svarga itself
The Movement of Sūrya
Sūrya (the Sun) travels two thousand yojanas above the earth, moving in a great oval path around Meru. He is held up by Dhruva (the Pole Star). When it is midday at Candra’s city Vibhāvarī in the north, it is sunrise at Indra’s city Amarāvatī in the east. When it is midday at Amarāvatī, it is sunrise at Yama’s city Saṃyamanī in the south. At the moment Sūrya rises, the Vālakhilya ṛṣis sing his praise.
Sources
- Narasiṃha Purāṇa, Chapter 30