75 - Jambüdvipa and Meru

Rudra said:

 1. shall now tell you in detail about the Jambüdvipa and the number of oceans and islands in it.

2. Also the number of regions in it, the different rivers etc, and again their extent and the. movements of the sun and the moon.

3. It is not easy to describe thousands of islands within the seven major ones by which the whole universe is filled.

4. I shall say about the seven islands and also about the sun and moon, about which people propound logical authority.

5. But it is not possible for logic to accomplish what is unthinkable. And what is beyond nature is really unthinkable.

6. I shall, therefore, describe Jambüdvipa as it is and the dimensions of its different regions.

7. It is one hundred and one thousand yojanas¹ in extent and is strewn all over with human settlements.

 1. One Yojana is equal to eight miles.

8. It is full of Siddhas and Chärnas² and is beautiful with mountains full of rocks and minerals.

2. Siddhas and Charanas are semi-divine beings.

9. It has numerous rivers arising from the mountains and is globular.

10. In this remains the great lord surrounded by nine (creators?). It is encircled by the saline ocean.

11. In the expansive Jambüdvipa there are six broad and long mountains.

12. There are oceans on the cast and west. There is Himavan full of snow and Hemaküta full of gold.

13. There is the big mountain Nishadha which gives pleasure in all its parts and the mount Meru which is of four (main) colours and contains gold.

14. It (Meru) is round and uniform in shape and has variegated colours. It has in it groups of Prajäpatis.

 15. It arose from the navel of the great Brahma. It is white in colour on the eastern side and this represents the Brahmin.

16. On the southern side it is yellow and this represents the Vaišhya.

17. On the western side it is black like the bee and this represents the Shüdra symbolising service.

18. On the northern side it is red in colour and this represents the Kshatriya. This is the division according to colour.

19. The blue parts contain Vaidürya stones, the pale white parts contain gold. The parts with the colour of peacock feathers contain highly pure gold.

20. These mountains have Siddhas and Cháranas in them. Their internal extent is nine thousand (yojanas).

21. In the middle is the region Ilávruta on which stands Meru. It spreads thousands of yojanas on all sides.

22. Mahameru stands in the middle like smokeless fire. It is half a Vedi in extent on the northern and southern sides.

23. There are six regions there each with a mountain. The periphery of each region one yojana.

24. Two each of these are for the thousands of Kshatriyas. Their extent is that of Jambüdvipa.

25. Occupying one hundred thousand yojanas are two mountains, Nila and Nishadha.

26. Smaller than these are the white Hemaküta and the peaky Himavån, Nishadha has the same dimension as Jambüdvipa.

27. A twelfth part of it is the dimension of Hemaküta and Himavån has the dimension of a twentieth part of Hemaküta.

28. An eighth part of Himavän lies between the cast and west. Because of the expansive nature of the island, there appears increase and decrease.

29. In the regions, just as there are mountains, there are settlements of people.

30. It is not easy to go from one settlement to another since each is surrounded by steep mountains and rivers.

31. Different kinds of beings live there. In the region of Himavän, the people are the Bhäratas.

32. In Hemaküta the people are Kimpurushas. After Hemaküta is The settlement there is 

33. After Harivarsha is Ilävruta. After Ilävruta is the well-known Ramyaka which is blue.

34. After Ramyaka is the well-known Hiranmaya which is white. After Hiranmaya is Šhruñgavän where we get Kuru,

35, Like a bow are two regions in the south and north. Of the four islands, Ilävruta is square-shaped.

36. Half a Vedi of Nishadha on the southern side is low and half a Vedi on the northern side is peaky.

37. On this southern side are three regions and there are three on the northern side too. Between these, where the Meru stands, is Ilävruta.

38. Its extent is thirty-four thousand yojanas. On its eastern side is the mountain Gandhamädana.

39. In its length, breadth and height it is similar to mount Mälyavän. In the middle is the golden mount Meru.

40. It is full of gold and has four colours. All the vital elements and living beings arose from it.

41. Taking the original indefinite form of earth as a lotus, Meru may be considered as its pericarp, and from it to have evolved the four major (outer) petals and the definite form with five qualities:

42. Then arose all activities and men of virtue living for several kalpas.

43. The best of Men (the Lord), who’ is the great yogin, the great God to be contemplated upon by the whole world, is attained by the great men who have realised the self.

44. His form is imperishable, endless and pervades the whole universe and he does not possess body constituted of bones, flesh and marrow.

45. He is all-pervading and bears all forms because of his being a yogi and the great Master. Because of him there arose in the world the great lotus.

46. In that great lotus arose the great lord, the four-faced (Brahma)

47. He is the chief of the creators and the overlord of the whole world. The seeds of creation have arisen from him.

48. The creation is now explained in detail. That water full of gems is the body of Vishnu.

49. The earth arose in the form of the lotus with forests and lakes. It is this world lotus that expanded itself.

50. I shall recount this expansion in its order, please listen O Brahmins.

There are four regions in it.

51. There is the mighty mountain Meru. It has different colours. On the eastern side it is white.

52. It is yellow on the south, black on the west and red on the north.

53. The white part of Meru is for the clan of kings. It shines like the rising sun and like fire without smoke.

54. It is eighty-four thousand yojanas in height, sixteen thousand yojanas deep and sixteen thousand yojanas in length.

55. It has a table-land thirty-two thousand yojanas in extent. The area of its expanse is thrice this.

56. One division of it has ninety thousand yojanas.

57. Beyond that is one of six thousand yojanas more.

58. This mountain is divine and is full of celestial herbs. The houses (built) in it are all of gold.

59. In this big mountain, groups of Devas, Gandharvas, Nägas, Rakshasas and Apsarases delight themselves.

60. All round the Meru are auspicious abodes. There are four regions on its four sides.

61. They are Bhadräšhva on the east, Bhärata on the south, Ketumäla on the west and Kuru on the north.

62. The pericarp of this lotus covers several thousand yojanas.

63. It has fifteen stamens each a Yojana long and their interspaces (at the bottom) occupy eightyfour yojanas each.

64. The stamens pervade a space of thirty thousand yojanas.

65. The length is one hundred thousand and the breadth eighty (yojanas). There are four parts of fourteen thousand yojanas.

66. Listen now to the account about what I told you as the pericarp.

67. It is attractive with hundreds of jewelled petals of various colours, golden and shining like the rising sun.

68. It has a thousand protrusions and thousand depressions and is fully circular.

69. In’ it there is the assembly of Brahma with splendidly jewelled arches and full of Brahmarshis.

70. It is known by the name Manovati in all the worlds. The glory of the great lord, resplendent like a thousand suns, is well marked there.

71. The groups of Devas propitiate the four-faced Brahma with sacrifices and prayers.

72-74. Also by those great men who have given up all desires by those who are of good mind and taken to righteous living, devoted to please the manes and gods, and by those householders who are full of humility, inclined to honour guests and of detached mind.

75. Those who with a resolve get their sins removed by their yogic practices like yama, niyama etc, attain the commendable white Brahmaloka.

76. The final position is beyond a height of fourteen thousand yojanas.

77. Above that is the beautiful black place luminous like the rising sun in the mountain full of gems and minerals.

78-80. The mountain with the circular base is thirty thousand yojanas and from a place in it which is ten yojanas long starts the river which begins flowing upwards and then falls on the earth. This flows through Amarävati, the city of gods.

81. Thrown out by this river, the sun, the moon and the stars rise and set and render service.

82. The Brahmins propitiate all the eight great mountains.