A Study of the Bhagavata Purana or Esoteric Hinduism Part 23

Rishabha called his sons and asked them to follow Bharata. Will other lands now follow that advice?

THE EARTH CHAIN, BHUVANA KOSHA.

*SKANDHA V. CHAP. 16.*

Said Pariks.h.i.t: - "Thou hast given the bare outline of these regions of the universe which are lighted by the sun and where the moon and the luminous starry host are also seen.

"Thou hast hereby mentioned the seven oceans and the seven Dvipas, but thou hast not given the details thereof." Suka replied: -

Imagine the Bhu-mandala or the Earth chain to be the pericarp of a lotus. Imagine there are seven sheaths immersed in it - the seven Dvipas. The central sheath is Jambu Dvipa. It is Niyut Yojanas in area (Niyut= 1,000,000 But Sridhara Svami here explains Niyuta as meaning one laksha or 100,000. So according to Sridhara the area of Jambu Dvipa is 800,000 miles). Jambu Dvipa is round like the lotus leaf.

There are nine Varshas in Jambu Dvipa, each nine thousand Yojanas in area completely divided by eight mountain ranges. (Bhadrasva and Ketumala form exceptions, for they extend over 34,000 Yojanas. Some take nine thousand Yojanas to be the expanse between the Nila and Nishadha ranges. The Vayu Purana describes the position thus: - Two Varshas are situated like two bows north and south. Four are placed longways.

Ilavrita is as it were with four petals. _Sridhara_. This gives 7 x 9000 + 34000 = 97000).

ILAVRITA IS THE CENTRAL VARSHA.

Sumeru is situated in the navel of this Varsha. This king of mountains is gold all through. It is a laksha Yojanas high. If the Earth chain be taken to be a lotus, this Meru is its pericarp. It is 32,000 Yojanas as the top and 16,000 Yojanas at the foot and 16,000 Yojanas under the ground.

(By saying 16000 Yojanas at the foot, 84000 Yojanas are left out. Thus the Vishnu Purana says - the Meru is 84000 Yojanas over the ground and 16000 under the ground, at the top 32000 and at the foot 16000.

_Sridhara_. 16000 + 84000=100000).

On the north of Ilavrita are the three mountain ranges Nila, Sveta and Sringavan in order. They are respectively the boundary ranges of Ramayak, Hiranmaya and Kuru. They spread east and west up to the salt ocean. They are two thousand Yojanas wide. In length, each succeeding one is a little over one tenth part shorter than the preceding one.

(There is no difference in height and in width. _Sridhara_).

So on the south of Ilavrita are the three ranges Nishadha, Hemakuta and Himalaya spreading east and west like the preceding ones. They are 10,000 Yojanas in height. They are the boundary ranges respectively of Harivarsha, Kinpurusha and Bharata. (This - 10,000 Yojanas - is also the height of Nila, Sveta and Sringavna. The width of these ranges again is that of Nila, and others. By Bharata we are to understand Nabhi.

On the west of Ilavrita is the Malyavat range and on the east lies the Gandha Madana range, These ranges extend north up to the Nila range and on the south up to the Nishadha range. They are two thousand Yojanas wide. They are the boundary ranges of Ketumala and Bhadrasva respectively. (East and west there is the Meru surrounded by Ilavrita, then there are the two ranges Malyavat and Gandha Madana, and the two varshas Bhadrasva and Ketumala and nothing besides).

North and south, there is the Meru then Ilavrita, 6 mountain ranges and 6 Varshas, 3 on each side and nothing else.

[Where do you then get a _laksha_ of Yojanas? It is said: - Meru has a diameter of 16,000. Ilavrita has 18,000. The 6 Varshas have 6 x 9,000 = 54,000. The 6 mountain ranges have together a width of 6 x 2,000 = 12,000. Thus north and south, we have 16,000 + 18,000 + 54,000 + 12,000 = 100,000.

East and west we have 34000 (9000 + 16000 + 9000) across Meru and Ilavrita and the two mountain ranges 2 x 2000 = 4000.

The expanse of the two Varshas up to the ocean side is 62000. This gives us 34000 + 4000 + 62000 = 100,000. Thus there is no conflict.

_Sridhara_.]

[This discussion of Sridhara throws immense light on the text. We find that the area is measured by the diameter. We find that 16000 is the diameter of Meru at the foot. We find that Ilavrita has 9000 from Meru to Nila and 9000 from Meru to Nishadha. We understand also why Bhadrasva and Ketumala were said to be exceptions, their expanse being 34,000. A diagram will now best ill.u.s.trate what we say.]

[Ill.u.s.tration: A diagram of Jambu-Dvipa.]

[Bharata as a Varsha must not be mistaken for India. For Bharata here stands for Nabhi or the whole of our known earth.

Bharata Varsha extends from the base of the Earth opposite the Himalayas on the side of America to the highest point of the Himalayas.]

Kinpurusha Varsha, so called from its dwellers, extends from the highest point of the Himalayas as its base to the highest point of Hemakuta.

So with the other Varshas.

It will be seen, that we have no idea of any of the mountains, besides the Himalayas.

Ilavrita stands on the same level with Ketumala and Bhadrasva. If these three be taken as one, we get the number _7_. Five other Dvipas have _7_ Varshas only.]

On the four sides of Meru are the four mountains - Mandara, Meru Mandara, Suparsna and k.u.mua. They are ten thousand Yojanas in height and expanse.

(There are two mountains east and west, their expanse being north and south. There are other two north and south, their expanse being east and west. Otherwise if these mountains were to encircle Meru, Ilavrita would not be in existence. _Sridhara_).

On these four mountains respectively are four big trees of Mango, Jamboland, Kadamba and the sacred Fig. They are the banners as it were of the Mountains. They are 11000 Yojanas high and they also spread over this area. Their width is one hundred Yojanas.

There is one lake below each of these trees: milk, sugarcane juice and pure water respectively. The use of these fluids gives natural Yogic powers to the Upadevas (lesser devas).

There are also four gardens of the Devas, _viz._ Nandana, Chaitraratha, Vaibhrajoka and Sarvato-bhadra.

The Devas, adored by the Upadevas amuse themselves in those gardens.

Big fruits with nectar-like juice fall from the mango tree on Mandara.

(The Vayu Purana gives the measure of the fruit. The Rishis who perceive truths give the measure of the fruits to be 108 cubits with the fist closed (_aratvi_) and also 61 cubits more. _Sridhara_)

When these fruits drop down, they give out a very sweet, very fragrant, profuse reddish juice which collects to form the river called Arunoda, having water of the color of Aruna or the morning Sun. This river waters the Eastern part of Ilavrita. The use of its water gives such a sweet scent to the body of the female attendants of Durga that the wind carries that scent to ten Yojanas around.

So the Jambu river is formed by the juice of the fruits that drop down from the Jambolova tree in Meru Mandara. It waters the southern part of Ilavrita.

The land on the banks of these rivers is soaked by their juice and worked on by air and light and is thus converted into gold called Jambunada, which gives ornaments to the Devas.

Aruna is the morning Sun, as well as the color of the morning Sun. The river with Aruna water is also gold producing.

The Kadamba tree on Suparsva has cavities from which flow five streams of honey, each 5 Vyamas wide (Vyama = the s.p.a.ce between the tips of the fingers of either hand when the arms are extended.) These streams water the western part of Ilavrita. The fragrant breath of those that use them spreads over one hundred Yojanas all round.

The fig tree (Vata) called Satavolsa on the summit of k.u.muda has branches which give rise to rivers that bring forth milk, curd, honey, clarified b.u.t.ter, mola.s.ses, edibles, carpets, cloths, ornaments, in fact all objects of desire. These rivers fall from k.u.muda and water the northern part of Ilavrita.

Those that use the waters of those rivers are free from all Infirmities, diseases, secretions, old age and death. They live in absolute bliss all their lives.

There are twenty more mountains on all sides of Meru, at its foot. They are Kuranga, Kurara, Kusumbha Naikovka, Trikuta, Sisira, Patanga.

Ruchoka, Nishadha Sitivasa, Kapila Sankha, Vaidurya, Jarudhi, Housas, Rishabha, Naga, Kalanjara, Nirada and others.

Two mountains, Jatharu and Devakuta, are situated on the east of Meru.

They are two thousand Yojanas in height and in width. To the north they spread over 18,000 Yojanas.

So on the west there are the two mountains Pavana and Pariyatra.

On the south there are Kailasa and Karavira, which expand towards the east. So on the north, there are Trisringa and Makara. (If different measures are given in Vishnu and other Puranas, they are with reference to different Kalpas. _Sridhara_).