Sudarśana Dvīpa

Sudarśana Dvīpa (sudarśana, beautiful to see) is the name the Bhīshma Parva of the Mahābhārata gives to the whole earth as it appears in the disc of the Moon. It is seen in the Moon as a human face is seen in a mirror. It looks like a round disc divided into land and water. Its marks are the shapes of a rabbit (śaśa) and a fig tree (pippalī), which match the great landmasses and oceans of the world. Within this disc lie Jambū Dvīpa with Meru at its centre, all the surrounding varshas, and Bhārata Varsha in the south.

Description

Sañjaya describes Sudarśana Dvīpa to Dhṛtarāshṭra: “Just as a human face reflects and appears in a mirror, so Sudarśana Dvīpa is seen in the disc of the Moon.”

The island is round like a wheel (cakra-vat). The Lavaṇa Sāgara (the salt ocean) surrounds it on all sides. Rivers cover it. Mountains as tall as clouds adorn it. It is full of towns and cities, and thick with trees bearing flowers and fruit. It is rich beyond measure and overflows with many kinds of wealth.

The rabbit and fig-tree marks

The marks of Sudarśana Dvīpa as seen in the Moon are:

  • Two portions of pippalī (aśvattha, the fig tree): two sections of the landmass form the shape of a fig tree.
  • Two portions of śaśa (the rabbit): two other sections form the shape of a rabbit.

The text tells which parts of the world match the shape of the rabbit in the Moon:

  • Two flanks: Bhārata Varsha (south) and Airāvata Varsha (north). They are the two sides of the rabbit’s body, described as the two tips of a bow.
  • Two ears: Nāga Dvīpa and Kāśyapa Dvīpa.
  • Head: Malaya Parvata, with its red-leafed trees.

So the southern part of the world’s disc, Bhārata and its related dvīpas, forms the rabbit’s shape seen in the Moon.

Structure of Sudarśana Dvīpa

Sudarśana Dvīpa is the same as Jambū Dvīpa described in other texts. It is the innermost continent of the Sapta Dvīpa (the seven dvīpas). The Bhīshma Parva describes these parts within it.

Six varsha mountains

These ranges divide the landmass from east to west and reach into the eastern and western oceans:

  1. Himavat (Himālaya)
  2. Hemakūṭa: the same as Kailāsa, the home of Kubera
  3. Nishadha: lived in by serpents and nāgas
  4. Nīlagiri: the home of brahmarshis
  5. Śvetagiri: the home of devas and rākshasas
  6. Śṛṅgavat: the home of devas alone

Nine varshas

The nine varshas lie between and beyond these ranges:

  1. Bhārata Varsha
  2. Haimavata Varsha
  3. Hari Varsha
  4. Ilāvṛta Varsha, with Meru at the centre
  5. Ramyaka Varsha
  6. Hiraṇmaya Varsha
  7. Uttara Kuru
  8. Bhadraśva
  9. Ketumāla

Meru Parvata

Meru Parvata stands at the very centre of Ilāvṛta Varsha, between the Mālyavanta and Gandhamādana ranges.

Each varsha from Bhārata Varsha northward is better than the one before it in āyuḥ (lifespan), ārogya (health), dharma, artha and kāma.

Sources

  • Mahābhārata, Bhīshma Parva, Chapters 5 and 6