Bhū-Maṇḍala

Bhū-maṇḍala means “the circle of the earth”. It is the flat, spread-out plan of the visible universe as the Varāha Purāṇa and other Purāṇas describe it. It is a vast disc of earth centred on the great mountain Meru. It is arranged into seven varshas (regions), six varsha-parvatas (mountain ranges that mark their borders), the great island continent of Jambū-dvīpa, and the rivers that flow from Meru in the four directions to support all life.

The Purāṇa presents this description of the world not as a figure of speech but as exact geography, with measurements in yojanas (an ancient unit of distance) for every mountain, river and region. The Mārkaṇḍeya, Agni, Liṅga and Bhāgavata Purāṇas add their own details, which are given below.

Jambū-dvīpa: The Central Continent

The central continent of the earth is Jambū-dvīpa. It is named after the great jambū (rose-apple) tree that grows on Meru. Jambū-dvīpa is ringed by the Lavaṇa-sāgara (salt ocean). At its heart stands Mount Meru, the axis of the universe, around which the whole bhū-maṇḍala is arranged.

The Purāṇa tells that Priyavrata, son of Svāyambhuva Manu, ruled the whole earth as emperor and divided it among his sons. His son Āgnīdhra received Jambū-dvīpa, and Āgnīdhra’s nine sons in turn received its nine sub-regions. The most important of these became the seven varshas that shape the continent.

Mount Meru: The Axis of the Universe

Meru stands at the very centre of Jambū-dvīpa and of the whole bhū-maṇḍala. The Purāṇa gives these measurements:

• Height: 84,000 yojanas above the earth
• Depth below the earth: 16 yojanas
• Width at the summit: 32 yojanas
• Diameter: 16 yojanas at the base, 32 yojanas at the top and 96 yojanas at the middle
• Circumference: 90,000 yojanas (at the middle)

Meru shines with a brilliant golden light. Its four faces look to the four directions, each with its own colour: the eastern face is white like the moon, the southern face tawny-gold, the western face like copper and the northern face like silver.

On the summit of Meru stands the city of Brahmā, Brahma-purī, broad and magnificent. Around Brahma-purī, in the eight directions, are the eight cities of the eight lokapālas (guardian devas of the directions). The devas live on Meru in unending splendour.

The Seven Varshas

The seven varshas lie as bands running across the land, separated by the six varsha-parvatas. Ilāvṛta-varsha lies at the centre, around Meru itself. From south to north they are:

Ilāvṛta-varsha, the central region, is especially holy. In the present age (Kali), only Mahādeva Rudra may enter Ilāvṛta. Any other male who enters is changed into a woman by the śāpa (curse) of Durgā.

The Six Border Mountain Ranges

Between the seven varshas stand six great mountain ranges (varsha-parvatas), each dividing one varsha from the next:

1. Himavān (the Himālaya): divides Bhārata from Kimpurusha; home of healing herbs and divine forests
2. Hemakūṭa: divides Kimpurusha from Harivarsha; mountains with golden peaks
3. Nishadha: divides Harivarsha from Ilāvṛta; a great range of fearsome height
4. Nīla: divides Ilāvṛta from Ramyaka; dark-blue mountains of great splendour
5. Śveta: divides Ramyaka from Hiraṇmaya; peaks gleaming white
6. Śṛṅgavān: divides Hiraṇmaya from Kuru; a range crowned with many peaks

Each of these ranges runs east to west across the whole width of Jambū-dvīpa and is about 2,000 yojanas high and wide.

The Mountains on Either Side of Meru

Two great mountain ranges stand on the east and west sides of Meru, running north to south:

• Mālyavān: on the east side of Meru, 34,000 yojanas long and 2,000 yojanas high and wide
• Gandhamādana: on the west side of Meru, 34,000 yojanas long and 2,000 yojanas high and wide

These two ranges form the eastern and western walls of Ilāvṛta-varsha, framing Meru on either side.

The Four Rivers of Meru

Four great rivers come out from the summit of Meru and flow in the four directions, giving life to the varshas they pass through:

• Sītā: flows east from Meru and in time comes down to Bhārata through many mountain passes
• Alakanandā: flows south from Meru through svarga. Brahmā first receives her in his water pot (kūrca). She then comes down through the footstep of Vishṇu (the Vishṇu-pāda), flows through Brahmaloka and reaches the world of mortals as the great Gaṅgā
• Cakshu: flows west from Meru
• Bhadrā: flows north from Meru toward Kuru-varsha

The Alakanandā is the most famous, since she is the divine Gaṅgā coming down to earth. The other three rivers bring divine waters in the same way to the other three regions.

Kailāsa

South of Meru stands Kailāsa, the home of Mahādeva Śiva and Gaurī Devī. Kailāsa is the seat of divine rule in the southern part of the great group of mountains around Meru. The city of Kubera (Alakā) lies nearby, and Kubera keeps the Pushpaka vimāna, a divine flying palace, here. Kailāsa is also linked with Kubera’s eight mahā-nidhis (great treasures) and with the river Mandākinī, which flows around it.

The Vyūha Forms on the Great Lotus

The Purāṇa describes the bhū-maṇḍala as a great lotus (bhū-padma), with Meru as its central seed-cup. The four petals of this lotus, one in each direction, match the four vyūha forms (the fourfold forms) of Bhagavān Nārāyaṇa:

• Eastern petal: Vāsudeva
• Southern petal: Saṅkarshaṇa
• Western petal: Pradyumna
• Northern petal: Aniruddha

This match between the land and the forms of Nārāyaṇa is the basis of the Pañcarātra system of pūjā.

Bhārata-varsha

Bhārata-varsha, the southernmost of the seven varshas, is the region where karma takes full effect and where the cycle of birth and death runs. It is bounded by the Himavān range to the north and by the sea to the south. Bhārata is the only varsha where beings can perform tapas (austerity), yajña (fire offering) and dāna (giving) to rise to higher worlds. For this reason even the devas value it highly and count birth in Bhārata as great good fortune.

The great rivers of Bhārata-varsha, among them the Gaṅgā, Godāvarī, Kṛshṇā, Kāverī, Sindhu and others, flow from the Himavān and other mountains. They support the people of its nine sub-regions (nava-khaṇḍas).

Jambū-dvīpa in the Mārkaṇḍeya Purāṇa (Chapters 51–52)

The Mārkaṇḍeya Purāṇa adds much detail to the description of Jambū-dvīpa. Meru has four lesser peaks in the four directions, each with its own great tree:

The Purāṇa lists nine varshas within Jambū-dvīpa: Ilāvṛta (at the centre, around Meru), Bhadrāśva (east), Ketumāla (west), Bhārata (south, the karma-bhūmi or land of action), Ramyaka, Hiraṇmaya, Kuru (north), Kimpurusha and Harivarsha. Bhārata-varsha is unique among all these regions. It is the only varsha where karma works in full and where svarga (the heavenly world) and moksha (liberation) can be reached through tapas, yajña and dāna. This difference is so great that even the devas count birth in Bhārata as the highest good fortune.

Rivers and Kingdoms of Bhārata-varsha (Mārkaṇḍeya Purāṇa, Chapters 54–55)

Bhārata-varsha itself holds nine sub-dvīpas: Indra, Kaśerumān, Tāmravarṇa, Gabhastimān, Nāga, Saumya, Gāndharva, Vāruṇa and Bhārata proper. The Purāṇa names seven kula-parvatas (the great mountain ranges of Bhārata) and the main rivers that flow from each:

The great rivers of Bhārata include the Gaṅgā, Sarasvatī, Sindhu, Candrabhāgā (Chenab), Yamunā, Śatadru (Sutlej), Vitastā (Jhelum), Irāvatī (Ravi), Gomatī, Narmadā, Godāvarī, Kṛshṇā, Kāverī, Tāpī and many hundreds more, all of them sacred. The chapter on the kūrma-niveśa (the layout of the tortoise) pictures Bhagavān Vishṇu in his Kūrma (tortoise) form spread over all of Bhārata-varsha, with his face turned to the east. Among the kingdoms the Purāṇa names are Magadha, Mithilā, Kaliṅga, Vaṅga, Āndhra, Avantī, Mahārāshṭra, Karṇāṭa, Coḷa, Kāñcī, Triliṅga (the Telugu country), Siṃhala and many others.

Bhū-Maṇḍala in the Agni Purāṇa

Meru and the Dvīpas (Chapter 108)

Chapter 108 of the Agni Purāṇa gives a short description of Meru and the structure of the universe around it. Jambū-dvīpa is one lakh (100,000) yojanas across. At its centre stands Meru, the golden mountain at the heart of the universe. Around Jambū-dvīpa lies the Lavaṇa-sāgara (salt ocean), and beyond that ocean lies Plaksha-dvīpa, the second ring of the bhū-maṇḍala. This pattern of rings, dvīpa (island continent) and ocean in turn, repeats outward through all seven rings.

The text also notes the great realm of Priyavrata’s sons: the seven dvīpas called Jambū, Plaksha, Śālmali, Kuśa, Krauñca, Śāka and Pushkara, each surrounded by its own ocean. The seven oceans are Lavaṇa (salt), Ikshurasa (sugarcane juice), Surā (wine), Ghṛta (ghee), Dadhi (curd), Kshīra (milk) and Jala (pure water). Each ocean surrounds the dvīpa just inside it and is as wide as that dvīpa.

The Seven Dvīpas in More Detail (Chapter 119)

Chapter 119 of the Agni Purāṇa describes each of the outer dvīpas in detail, with their people, rivers and ruling families.

Plaksha-dvīpa: Two lakh yojanas across, surrounded by the Ikshurasa-sāgara (ocean of sugarcane juice) of the same width. The seven sons of Medhātithi rule its seven varshas, named Śāntabhaya, Śiśira, Sukhocaya, Ānanda, Śiva and Madhruva. Its border mountains are Gomeda, Candra, Nāka, Dundubhi, Somaka, Sumanas and Raila. The people honour the Moon (Candra-devatā). They live five thousand years. Their four varṇas are called Ārya, Kuru, Eviśa and a fourth name not given.

Śālmali-dvīpa: Twice the size of Plaksha-dvīpa, surrounded by the Surā-sāgara (ocean of wine). The seven sons of Vapushmān, Śveta, Harita, Jīmūta, Rohita, Vaidyuta, Mānasa and Suprabha, are its seven kings, and seven varshas bear their names. Its border mountains are Kumuda, Anala, Balāhaka, Droṇakaṅka, Mahisha and Kakudmān. The people honour Vāyu, and their four varṇas are called Kapi, Aruṇa, Pīta and Kṛshṇa.

Kuśa-dvīpa: The seven sons of Jyotishmān, Udbhida, Dhenuyuta, Dveratha, Lambana, Dhairya, Kapila and Prabhākara, rule it. Its border mountains include Vidruma, Hema, Dyutimān, Pushpavān, Kuśeśaya, Hari and Mandara. The people honour Vishṇu in the form of Brahmā. The Dadhi-sāgara (ocean of curd) surrounds this dvīpa.

Krauñca-dvīpa: The sons of Dyutimān rule this dvīpa, and its varshas are named after them. The Ghṛta-sāgara (ocean of ghee) surrounds it.

Śāka-dvīpa and Pushkara-dvīpa: The outermost dvīpas, surrounded by the Kshīra-sāgara (ocean of milk) and the Jala-sāgara (ocean of sweet water) respectively. On the far side of Pushkara-dvīpa lies the Lokāloka mountain, the great ring of mountains that marks the border between the lit universe and the darkness outside it. Beyond Lokāloka there is no sunlight and no life of the kind known within the bhū-maṇḍala.

The Agni Purāṇa notes that the people of all the dvīpas from Plaksha to Śāka live five thousand years, follow varṇāśrama-dharma (the duties of one’s class and stage of life), and live in lands where the seasons are pleasant and disease is rare.

The Lower Worlds and the Distances of the Planets (Chapter 120)

Chapter 120 of the Agni Purāṇa describes the pātāla-lokas, the worlds below the surface of the bhū-maṇḍala, and gives the distances of the visible planets from the earth. The seven pātāla-lokas, lying in layers one below another beneath the earth, are:

1. Atala: ruled by the asura Bala, son of Maya
2. Vitala: where Bhava (a form of Śiva) lives
3. Sutala: the realm of the righteous Bali Mahārāja, where Bhagavān Vishṇu himself stands guard
4. Talātala: the realm of Maya, the asura architect
5. Mahātala: home of the great serpents (mahā-nāgas)
6. Rasātala: the realm of the dānavas and daityas
7. Pātāla: the deepest realm, where the great serpent Śesha (Ananta) lives, holding up all the worlds on his hoods

Below Pātāla lies the first darkness, and below even that is Vishṇu in his form of Ananta-Śesha, resting on the ocean of the universe.

Above the earth, the Agni Purāṇa gives the order of the planets, going up by their distance from the bhū-maṇḍala: the Sun (Sūrya), the Moon (Candra), Mars (Maṅgala), Mercury (Budha), Jupiter (Bṛhaspati), Venus (Śukra) and Saturn (Śani). Above Saturn are the seven ṛshis (the Saptarshi-maṇḍala, or Great Bear), and above them the Dhruva-pada (the pole star), the pivot around which all the stars turn. The text presents this upright line, from Pātāla through the earth to Dhruva, as the pillar that gives shape to the visible universe.

Bhū-Maṇḍala in the Liṅga Purāṇa (Chapter 46)

Chapter 46 of the Liṅga Purāṇa agrees on the same plan of seven dvīpas and seven seas. What it adds in particular is the teaching that Sāmba Sadāśiva (Śiva together with Ambā, the Devī) lives in all seven dvīpas at once, in various forms, with his gaṇas (attendants):

In all seven dvīpas, in all mountains, in all forests, in all rivers, lakes, and ocean-junctions, Śiva-sthalas exist in lakhs throughout the manifest world.

So the bhū-maṇḍala is not only a plan of the world. It is shown to be a vast field in which Śiva lives everywhere.

The Liṅga Purāṇa also describes the people of particular varshas within Jambū-dvīpa:

• Ketumāla-varsha: dark-skinned, living on jackfruit
• Bhadrāśva: white as moonbeams, eating mangoes
• Ramyaka: eating fruits of the earth
• Hiraṇmaya: eating the fruits of the pīpal tree
• Kuru-varsha: living on milk, and enjoying the company of dark-skinned women who stay forever young
• Kimpurusha: golden-skinned
• Ilāvṛta: lotus-faced and lotus-eyed, with the fragrance of lotuses; they offer pūjā to Śiva, drink the juice of the jambū fruit, are free from disease and early death, and live 13,000 years

Of Bhārata-varsha, the Liṅga Purāṇa says that in the Kali age people lack single-minded Śiva-bhakti and suffer from hatred between sects. This is unlike the other varshas, where Śiva-bhakti comes naturally and never breaks. Bhārata-varsha is the only place where karma works in full, and where svarga and moksha can be actively sought through tapas, dāna and yajña.

Bhū-Maṇḍala in the Bhāgavata Purāṇa (Fifth Skandha)

Jambū-dvīpa: Meru and the Nine Varshas

The fifth skandha (book) of the Śrīmad Bhāgavatam gives the most detailed account of Jambū-dvīpa in the Purāṇas. Jambū-dvīpa is exactly one lakh (100,000) yojanas across. At its centre stands Meru:

• Height above the earth: 100,000 yojanas
• Width at the summit: 32,000 yojanas
• Width at the base: 16,000 yojanas
• Depth below the earth: 16,000 yojanas

Meru’s shape is compared to the seed-cup of a lotus, wider at the top and narrowing toward the base. On its summit stands Brahmā’s city (Brahma-purī), surrounded by the eight cities of the lokapālas in all eight directions.

The Four Lesser Peaks of Meru

Four great lesser peaks stand in the four directions around Meru, each linked with a sacred tree:

On these peaks stand the palaces of Indra, Yama, Varuṇa and Kubera, in that order.

The Four Sacred Forests of Meru

Around Meru lie four great forests, one in each direction: Nandana (east), Caitraratha (south), Vaibhrājaka (west) and Sarvatobhadra (north). These forests are the pleasure gardens of Indra and the devas.

The Four Rivers from Meru

The great Gaṅgā comes down from the foot of Vishṇu to Brahmā’s world and then falls on the summit of Meru. From there she divides into four streams:

• Sītā: flows east through Bhadrāśva-varsha into the eastern sea
• Alakanandā: flows south through Bhārata-varsha (the Gaṅgā of the earth)
• Cakshu: flows west through Ketumāla-varsha
• Bhadrā: flows north through Kuru-varsha

All four streams are the same Vishṇupadī (she who is born from Vishṇu’s foot). They are equally sacred, flowing in the four directions to support the four quarters of Jambū-dvīpa.

Ilāvṛta-varsha: Who May Enter

Ilāvṛta-varsha, the central varsha around Meru, is under a special śāpa (curse) in the present age: no male except Bhagavān Śiva may enter. Any male who enters is changed into a woman by the curse of Durgā. Śiva himself lives in Ilāvṛta for ever, with ten crore (100 million) attendants and with Devī Durgā and her great following, and he honours Saṅkarshaṇa with a stotra (hymn of praise) without pause.

The Six Outer Dvīpas (Chapter 20)

The Bhāgavatam describes the six dvīpas around Jambū-dvīpa as follows:

Plaksha-dvīpa: Ruled by Idhmajihva, son of Priyavrata. It has seven varshas: Śiva, Yavasī, Subhadrā, Śānta, Kshema, Amṛta and Abhaya, and seven border mountains. The people honour Sūrya (in his Soma aspect). They live 10,000 years. It is surrounded by the Ikshurasa (sugarcane juice) ocean.

Śālmali-dvīpa: Ruled by Yajñabāhu, son of Priyavrata. Its seven varshas are named after Yajñabāhu’s seven sons. The people honour Candra. It is surrounded by the Surā (wine) ocean.

Kuśa-dvīpa: Ruled by Hiraṇyaretā, son of Priyavrata. Its seven varshas are named after his seven sons. The people honour Agni. It is surrounded by the Ghṛta (ghee) ocean.

Krauñca-dvīpa: Ruled by Ghṛtakṛshṇa, son of Priyavrata. It has seven varshas. The people honour the Maruts (Vāyu). It is surrounded by the Dadhi (curd) ocean.

Śāka-dvīpa: Ruled by Medhātithi, son of Priyavrata. It has seven varshas. The people honour Vishṇu in the form of Vāyu. It is surrounded by the Kshīra (milk) ocean.

Pushkara-dvīpa: Ruled by Vītihotra, son of Priyavrata. It has two varshas: Mahāvīta and Dhātakī. At its centre stands the great Śālmalī tree (the silk-cotton tree of the universe). The people honour Brahmā’s form. It is surrounded by the Jala (fresh water) ocean.

Beyond Pushkara-dvīpa stands the Lokāloka range, the great ring of mountains that marks the border between the lit universe and the darkness outside it. Beyond Lokāloka there is neither sunlight nor any living creation of the kind known within the bhū-maṇḍala.

The Planets Above the Bhū-Maṇḍala (Chapters 21–22)

The Bhāgavatam places the planets one above another above the bhū-maṇḍala:

• Sūrya (the Sun): 100,000 yojanas above the earth; his chariot carries all time, the seasons and yajña
• Candra (the Moon): 100,000 yojanas above Sūrya; moves faster than the sun; the source of amṛta (nectar) for all living beings
• Nakshatras (the stars): 200,000 yojanas above Candra
• Śukra (Venus): 200,000 yojanas above the nakshatras; follows close to the sun
• Budha (Mercury): 200,000 yojanas above Śukra
• Aṅgāraka or Maṅgala (Mars): 200,000 yojanas above Budha; often inauspicious
• Bṛhaspati (Jupiter): 200,000 yojanas above Mars; favourable to brāhmaṇas
• Śani (Saturn): 200,000 yojanas above Jupiter; slow, taking 30 months to pass through each rāśi (sign of the zodiac)
• Saptarshi-maṇḍala (the Great Bear): 1,100,000 yojanas above Śani
• Dhruva-maṇḍala (the pole star): 1,300,000 yojanas above the Saptarshis; the eternal pole

The Śiśumāra Cakra of the Stars (Chapter 23)

The Bhāgavatam describes all the stars and planets together as making the shape of a Śiśumāra (a dolphin or makara, a great sea creature), with its tail at Dhruva and its head pointing down. The parts of this great body are matched to particular stars and planets:

• Tip of the tail: Dhruva (the pole star)
• Middle of the tail: the stars Prajāpati, Agni, Indra and Dharma
• Back: Ajavīthī (a group of stars in the south)
• Belly: Ākāśa-Gaṅgā (the Milky Way)
• Right and left hips: Punarvasu and Pushya
• Nostrils: Abhijit and Uttarāshāḍhā
• Eyes: Śravaṇa and Pūrvāshāḍhā
• Ears: Dhanishṭhā and Mūla
• Heart: Nārāyaṇa himself
• The Moon: the mind of this great form
• The Sun: its chest

Sādhakas (spiritual practitioners) are told to offer namaskāra (salutation) to this Śiśumāra form at the three junctions of the day (dawn, noon and dusk), saying: “We bow to the Purushottama who is the support of all stars, the wheel of time, and the ruler of all devas.” This practice destroys the pāpa (wrongdoing) of that time of day.

Sources

• Varāha Mahā Purāṇa, Chapters 74–88
• Mārkaṇḍeya Purāṇa, Chapters 51–57
• Agni Mahā Purāṇa, Chapters 108 and 119–120
• Liṅga Purāṇa, Pūrvārdha (first part), Chapter 46
• Śrīmad Bhāgavata Mahā Purāṇa, Skandha 5 (Book 5), Chapters 16–23
• Brahmāṇḍa Mahā Purāṇa, Pūrva Bhāga (first part), Chapters 14–15