The Vå. P, is one of the oldest Puranas. Though the anthor has recorded the traditional information or social memory of the places in Jambūdvipa, the information as corroborated by modren researchers shows that, Puranic India was much wider and included modren Afghanistan and a major portion of Central Asia. The distances and the extent mentioned in terms of Yojanas are traditional and possibly conjectural) as they often do not tally with our present knowledge.
1. On hearing of the establishment of the people, the clever and eminent sage asked Sūta about the length and extent of the earth.
The sages enquired:
2. O holy sir, how many continents, or oceans or mountains are there? How many Varşhas(sub-continents) are there and what are the rivers in them.
3. Explain factually to us in details, the magnitude of the great elements and of the Lokāloka mountain, the circumference, the size and the course of movements of the sun and the moon.
Sūta said:
4. Henceforth I shall explain the length and extent of the earth, the number of oceans and continents in details.
5. I shall tell you how many countries (Varşhas) there are and what the rivers (are) therein. (Now) I shall tell you the magnitude of the great elements, the Lokäloka mountain range, the circumference, magnitude and the course of the moon and the sun.
6. There are thousands of countries and islands in the seven continents. They cannot be described in details with sufficient evidence, even in hundreds of years.
7. I shall explain the seven continents along with the moon, the sun and the planets. Men mention their extent and magnitude by guess-work.
8. One shall not make conjectures about inconceivable objects and worlds. That which is beyond Prakruti is called eternal.
9. I shall describe to you factually Jambūdvipa consisting of nine Varşhas. Understand its extent and zones in Yojanas.
10-11. It extends to a hundred thousand Yojanas. It is full of different rural localities and various splendid cities. It is embellished with the (colonies of) Siddhas, Charañas and Gandharvas and with mountains as well. It has mountains abounding in minerals and variegated rocks. It has many rivers rising from mountains.
12. Jambūdvipa is immense, glorious and surrounded by nine (Khandas-Zones?) inhabited by living beings. It is encircled on all sides by salt-sea.
13. All round Jambūdvipa, extending to its entire length, the six mountain systems stretch to the east.1 They have excellent ridges. They extend to both sides plunging into the eastern and western seas.
1. These are called Varsha parvatas as they divide one Varşha (sub-continent or country) from another. For their location and modern name vide Supra Ch. 1, p. 11, note 2.
14. The mountain Himavat is full of snow. Hemakūta is full of gold; Nişhadha is golden having the lustre of the midday sun.
15. The golden Meru of four colours is known as the highest.2 Leaping up in symmetrical shapes on all sides it rises up.
2. Verses 15-23 describe the pivotal mount Meru. About its shape and size there is a consenus among Puranas like KP, Mt. P., Bd. P., Mk. P. M. Ali (AGP, pp. 47-50 points out that Persians, Greeks, Chinese, Jews and Arabs confirm the traditional nodality of Meru. After discussing the problems, he shows that Mt. Meru of Puranas is identical with the Pamirs in Central Asia.
For a diagrammatic representation of Jamhū-dvipa and its cross section vide Fig. 4 on AGP, p. 65.
16. On its sides it has various colours. It is endowed with the attributes of Prajāpati. It is born of the umbilical knot of Brahma, of unmanifest origin.
17. It is white on the east, hence its Brahmanahood. It is yellow on the south, hence its Vaishyahood.
18. On the west it is black like the aloe leaf. It is very hard, and renders services to many.
19. Its northern side has a natural red colour. Hence its Kşhattriya-hood. Thus all its colours are described. Its manifest characteristics are described according to its colour and effects.
20-21. The Nīla mountain is full of Lapis lazuli; Shvetashrunga. full of gold; Shrungavån is of gold but variegated in colour like peacock feathers. These lordly mountains are resorted to by Chåraņas and Siddhas. Their inner girth is said to be nine thousand (Yojanas).
22. It is in the centre of Ilāvruta which surrounds it. It extends to nine thousand Yojanas. In the centre of the Meru, there is a smokeless fire.
23. The southern and the northern halves of Meru come together like the middle of the sacrificial altar. The seven mountain systems of the seven countries (Varshas) are two thousand Yojanas long and as much high.
24-27. Their length is said to be similar to that of Jambūdvipa. The two middling mountains, Nila and Nişhadha are a hundred thousand Yojanas in length; the other (four mountains) are shorter (in length) than these. (They are) Sveta, Hemakūta, Himavān, and Shrugavån. Out of these mountains Sveta and Hemakūta are each ninety thousand Yojanas long. (Mountains Himavan and Shrugavān) are each eighty thousand in length. There are Janapadas (territories) in between them. The Varşhas are seven in number. They are encircled by mountains that are difficult to cross on account of steep precipices. They are crisscrossed by different rivers. It was impossible to travel from one Varşha to another (lit. they were mutually unapproachable). Animals of different species live in them.
28. This Varsha deriving its name from Himavatis well known by the name Bhārata. Hemakūta is beyond this. It is remembered by the name Kimpuruşha.
29. Naişhadha (Varşha is beyond) Hemakūta. It is called Harivarşha. Ilāvruta is beyond Harivarsha (with Meru in the middle).
30. Nila is beyond Ilāvruta and is well-known by the name Ramyaka. Beyond Ramyaka is Shveta and is well known as Hiranmaya. The Shrungavat is beyond Hiranmaya and it is remembered as Kuru.
31. The two sub-continents in the south and north should be known as situated in the form of a bow. Four others are situated lengthwise and the middle one is Ilāvruta.1
1. This is the seven-continent concept of the earth in the Purānas. It may be diagrammatically represented as follows: NORTH
Uttara-Kuru Varsha - Mt. Shrungavān
Hiranmaya Varşha - Mt. Shveta
Ramyaka Varsha - Mt. Nila
Ilăvruta Varsha
Mt. Meru
Ilāvruta Varsha
Hari Varsha - Mt. Nişhadha
Kimpuruşha Varşha -Mt. Hemakūta
Bhārata or Haimavata - Mt. Himayat or
Varşha Himalaya
SOUTH
Does the bow-like formation of these Varşhas suggest the spherical shape of the earth?
32. Vedyardha which is on the hitherside of Nişhadha is known as southern Vedyardha and that which is beyond the Nīlavån is the northern Vedyardha. On the southern side of Vedyardha there are three Varşhas and three on the northern side.
33a. Meru should be known as standing in between them and Ilavruta is in the middle of Meru.
33b-34. To the south of the Nīla and to the north of Nişhadha, there is a great mountain stretching to the north named Malyavan.
It stretches a thousand Yojanas from Nila to Nişhadha. It is glorified as one thirty-four thousand Yojanas in extent.
35. The mountain Gandhamädana should be known as situated to its west. In length and extent, it is reputed to be like Mālyavān.2
2. The Purānas differ about the location of these mountains. But here Mt, Mālyavān due to its association with Gandhamādana and Meru may be identified with the Sarikol range, as Gandhamädana was the northern ridge of the great Hindukush arch with its northern extension, the Khwaja Mahammad (AGP, pp. 58-59).
Meru, the golden mountain, is in the middle of two cirdes. That golden mountain has four colours. It is symmetrical and very lofty.
36. In between the two, there is the four-coloured, golden. four-cornered, lofty, excellent mountain Meru. From the unmanifest, the elements of water etc. are born.
37. From the unmanifest the great lotus of the earth is evolved. Its pericarp is the four-cornered Meru that is five times great.
38-39. O excellent Brāhmaṇas, then all the deities were born. The noble Puruşhottama was born with his Atman purified by merits earned through many Kalpas previously. Then there was born Mahadeva, the great Yogin, the great lord who is elderly to the universe which he pervades, and who is infinite and formless.
40. He has no form evolved out of Prakruti, that is to say no form of flesh, fat or bone; with his Yogic power and lordly nature, he pervades the universe.
41. From him as the cause, was born the eternal lotus of the worlds. As the natural sequence of time, it occurred at the advent of the Kalpa (?)
42. In that lotus was born the four-faced lord of Devas, Brahma, the chief of Prajapatis, the lord of the universe.
43. His creation is the seed of the lotus precisely. The whole of it, along with the creation of the subjects, is mentioned here in detail
44. The lotus that was fashioned by Vişhnu grew from his umbilicus. The earth along with the forests and the trees was evolved in the shape of a lotus.
45. O Brāhmanas, listen to the detailed description of this lotus of the universe and its divisions in due order.
46. The four famous great continents are stationed on the petals.1 The powerful Meru is stationed on the pericarp.
1. Verses 46 ff explain the four-continent (Chatur-dvipi) concept of the earth. It regards Meru as the pericarp of the Earth-lotus with four dvīpas as petals, one in each direction, Four-direction wise concept was naturally earlier and is found in Mbh. VI. 6.12-13, VP. II. 2. 39 ff and in early Buddhist works (see Childers, Pali-Eng. Dictionary: S. V. Mahädipo and Malalsekera, Dict. Pali, Prop. Names-Jambūdipa).
47-48. Of its sides of different colours the eastern side is white; the southern is yellow; the western is black; and the northern is red. With variegated colours shining brightly, Meru is established like a king.
49. It is as refulgent as the midday sun or the smokeless fire. It is eighty-four thousand Yojanas in height.
50. Its depth below the surface of the earth is sixteen thousand Yojanas and at its base it extends also as much. It is. situated like an arrow pointing to the east. Its diameter at the summit is thirtytwo thousand Yojanas.
51. Its girth all round is thrice its lateral extent. The spherical curvature is half of it. It lies in three angles.
52. Its extent all round is forty thousand Yojanas. In the angular calculation, it will be eight thousand more.
53. In the quadrangular calculation the girth is forty-eight thousand Yojanas.
54. That mountain is extremely rich in divine medicinal herbs. It is encircled by auspicious golden worlds.
55. All the groups of Devas, Gandharvas, Uragas, Rākşhasas and splendid Apsaras-s, are seen on that lordly mountain.1
1. Shailarājaih is emended as Shailarāje as in A.
56. That Meru, the purifier of living beings, is encircled by worlds. Four lands are established on its different sides.2
2. Verses 56-57 state in a nutshell the Chatur-dvipi concept as follows: -
NORTH
(Uttara) Kuru
West: Ketumāla Mt. Meru -Bhadrāśhva:East
Bhārata
SOUTH
Early Buddhists show the same distribution though they substitute PurvaVideha for Bhadrāśhva and Apara Godāna (Pali-Goyāna) for Ketumala. For a discussion of these names vide D.C. Sircar, GAM, I, pp. 19 ff and CGEIL-Cosmography and Geography in Early Indian Literature pp. 38-43.
57. They are Bhadrāśhva (to the east), Bharata (in the south), Ketumala in the west, and the Kurus in the north.
They (Kurus) are the resorts of those who perform pious deeds.
58. The pericarp of that lotus is spherical all round extending to ninety-six thousand Yojanas. The internal measurement is eighty-four thousand Yojanas.
59. Its filaments extend to three hundred thousand Yojanas in all directions.
60. It has four petals to the four quarters, a hundred thousand Yojanas in length and eighty thousand in width.
61. Listen attentively to the description of what I had called before the pericarp and know it briefly.
62. Atri1 thought it has a hundred angles or corners; sage Bhrugu, one thousand. According to Sävarņi; it is octangular, and a quadrangle according to Bhàguri.
1. Verses 62-63 show the confusion of pre-Va P. geographers about Meru. The author of Vă. P. is not much wiser or reliable here.
63. Värshayani opines that it is four-sided; Gālava thinks it has the shape of a saucer; Gärgya regards it as twisted braided hair; while Kroşhtaki conjectures it to be spherical.
64. Each of these sages knew only that side of this lordly mountain which was near him. Only Brahma knows the entire range.
65-66. Know that Meru, the most excellent of mountains, is full of gems and jewels. It has various colours and lustres. It is golden and refulgent like Aruņa. It is very attractive. It has a thousand knots and ridges, where water flows. It is like a lotus with a thousand petals.
67-70. It is full of columns studded with gems and jewels. It has altars decorated with diverse jewels. Festoons of corals and golden pieces adorn it. On festival occasions hundreds of glorious heaven-dwellers moving about on aerial chariots, illuminate all its sides with their lustre. The abodes for Devas are laid in thousands of its beautiful ridges. The four-faced lord of Devas, Brahma, the most excellent among those who know Brahman and the leader of heaven-dwellers, occupies its upper surface.2
2. In order to justify the identification of Meru with heaven or Svarga in v. 94-96 below, we are told how the assembly halls of Gods are located on the different ridges of Meru. God Brahmā, being the greatest of gods, is on a higher plane with his assembly hall Manovati.
The direction-wise distribution of gods and their assemblies given in w. 75-92 is as follows:
Direction of the Name of the presiding Name of his
Ridge god Assembly Hall
I. East Indra
II. South-East Agni (Fire-god) Tejovati
III. South (R) Vaivasvata (Yama) Susamyamā
IV. ? Nairrutya Krushnangana
V. West (?) Varuna Shubhavati
VI. North-West Väyu Gandhavati
VII. North? The Moon Mahodaya
Vibhāvari in infra 50.90
VIII. ? Ishana Yaśhovati
The list of the lords of directions as given here in Va. P. is different from the traditional one. The list quoted from Amarakośha (in Apte’s Sk. Dictionary) substitutes Kubera for the Moon while Mbh v. 16.27 excludes Indra and Agni and includes both Kubera and Soma.
71-72. The various quarters set up on the mountain contain: thousands of great Devas capable of bestowing desired fruits. They have occupied the great regions there. Here is a glorious assembly-hall of Brahma, resorted to by several Brahmanical sages. It is known as Manovati in all the worlds.
73. The great aerial chariot of lord Ishäna, having the brilliance of a thousand suns, is there proclaiming its own glory.
74. Devas and sages (stay there) near Brahma. The mass of splendour (god Brahma?) is glorified there. I shall describe it to you now.
75. The glorious lord of riches, the thousand-eyed Indra, stays here honoured by Devas and the celestial sages of great Yogic prowess.
76. Here alone is the region of lord Indra, the great monarch, the lord of the worlds. It is as refulgent as the sun. It is bowed to by all Siddhas.
77. Here is the region of Indra endowed with the highest prosperity of the world. It is brightened by the excellent immortal Devas and is ever resorted to by them.
78-80. In the second inner ridge, in the intermediate point between the east and the south, is the famous splendid assembly hall that shines like fire. It is very beautiful and lustrous, inlaid with metals of diverse colours. The ground is paved with various. gems. It has several pillars made of gold and rising high. There are many gem-studded platforms, secret and hidden excellent apartments on either side. This famous spacious aerial chariot is refulgent and fire-like.
81-82. That alone is the great assembly-hall of the Fire god. It is called Tejovati. The Fire-god Vibhāvasu, the most excellent (among Devas) and the mouth of all celestial deities. endowed with thousands of leaping flames, is eulogised by Devas and sages, who perform Homas too.
83-84. The Fire-god is the intermediary and a distinguished deity of Brāhmaṇas. Though he is indivisible, his splendour is shared by all. He, the lord of splendour, assumes various forms. His diversity both as the cause and effect is perceptible through concentrated mind.
85. That Fire-god is respectfully bowed to by noble Siddhas, blessed sages, knowers of the world and worldly affairs and those who assimilate his prowess and exploits.
86. In the third inner ridge is a great assembly-hall of Vaivasvata (god of death). It is known as Susamyama.
87. In the fourth inner ridge is the great assembly-hall of the intelligent lord Nairrustya of squint-eyes. The hall is named Krişhņānganā.
88. Similarly in the fifth inner ridge there is a great assembly hall of Varuna, lord of waters and son of the sun. This hall is named Shubhavati.
89. In the northern quarter beyond that, in the sixth inner ridge, there is the great assembly-hall of Vayu. It excels all in good qualities. It is called Gandhavati.
90. In the seventh inner ridge, there is the assembly-hall of the Moon, lord of the stars. It has raised platforms and altars of brilliant lapis lazuli. This hall is called Mahodayā.
91. So also in the eighth inner ridge there is a great assembly-hall of Iśhāna. It is named Yashovati. It has the lustre of the molten gold.
92. These splendid assembly-halls are situated in the eight quarters. They belong to the eight chief Devas, Indra and others.
93. They are resorted to by the sages, Devas, Gandharvas, Apsaras-s and serpents, who come for worship.
94.-96. What is known and called by the synonyms of heaven, viz. Nākaprustha, Diva and Svarga, by those who know the Vedas and their ancillaries is this. It is here where Devas live. It is so said in the Vedas. One attains this Devaloka by various observances, restraints, sacrifices or different sorts of meritorious deeds. It is called Svarga also.