Saptadvīpa (3): Kuśadvīpa

After that the Matsya Purāṇa describes about the Kuśadvīpa . According to the Purāṇa the Kuśadvīpa is a very large ‘mandala ’. The water of rivers flows around it. It is colorful like cloud and is surrounded by Mountains, colourful and decorated with pearls, corals etc. Around it there are delightful countries of various sizes and groups of trees loaded with flowers and fruits are stunning. It is full of rural and wild animals everywhere. The Kṣīrasāgar is surrounded all around by the Kuṣadvīpa . It is twice as large as the Śākadvīpa . There are also seven Mountains with gemstones in this dvīpa . The rivers here are also treasures of gems. Just similarly as the Śākadvīpa , the Mountains and rivers here also have two names. The first is a Mountain called ‘Kumud ’, shining like the sun. This Mountain is also called mount ‘Vidrumoccya ’. The second Mountain there is famous with the name ‘Unnata ’. It is full of all metals and is composed of rock-shaped peaks. The same Mountain is named as the ‘Hemparvat ’. The third is ‘Balāhaka ’ Mountain, which is black like Kajal (lamp black/eyewash). It has covered the island everywhere with its green peaks. This Mountain is also called ‘Dyutimān ’. The fourth Mountain is ‘Droṇa ’. Great and very useful medicines like ‘Viśalyakaraṇī ’ and ‘Mṛtasanjīvanī’are found in this Mountain. The same great prosperous Mountain is known as ‘Puṣpavān ’. Fifth among them is the ‘Kanka ’ Mountain, which is rich in substance. This Mountain is also called ‘Kuśeśaya ’. There is the sixth ‘Mahiṣa ’ Mountain, which is cloud–like black, full of divine flowers and fruits and full of divine trees. It is again known as ‘Hari ’. There the seventh Mountain is known as ‘Kakudmān ’, which is also named ‘Mandara ’. It is full of metals and is very beautiful. This dull metal, which is supposed to reveal the meaning of water, so due to the discharge of water, this Mountain is called the ‘Mandār ’. The ‘Viṣkambha’ Mountain is said to be twice the size than the ‘Mandār ’.

There are seven varṣas in this dvīpa .

1. Śveta,
2. Lohita, 
3. Jīmūta (or Svairathākāra), 
4. Harika, 
5. Kakud, 
6. Mahiṣa (or Prabhākara), 
7. Kapila.

The name of the year of mount ‘Kumuda ’ is ‘Śveta ’. It is also called ‘Unnata ’. The name of the varṣa of Mountain Unnata is ‘Lohita ’, which is also known as ‘Veṇumaṇḍalaka ’. There is the varṣa named ‘Jīmūta’ of the ‘Balāhaka ’ Mountain. This varṣa is also famous as ‘Svairathākāra ’. The name of the varṣa of the ‘Droṇa ’ Mountain is ‘Harika ’, it is also called ‘Lavaṇa ’. The varṣa of the ‘Kanka’Mountain is ‘Kakud ’, which is also called ‘Dhṛtimān ’. The name of the varṣa of mount ‘Mahiṣa ’ is ‘Mahiṣa ’. It is named also ‘Prabhākara ’. The varṣa of ‘Kakudmī ’ Mountain is famous as ‘Kapila ’. In the Kuśadvīpa these seven specific varṣas and seven Mountains are separate. There are also seven rivers reported in each varṣas . They are all of two names and are virtuous. The first river in them is named ‘Dhūtapāpā ’, which is also called ‘Yoni ’. The other river should be known as ‘Sītā ’. The same is called ‘Niśā ’. The ‘Pavitrā ’ river should be considered as the third river. It is also named ‘Vitṛṣṇā ’. The fourth is called ‘Hlādinī ’, which is also famous as ‘Candramā ’. The fifthriver is called ‘Vidyut ’, also named ‘Śuklā ’. The ‘Puṇḍrā ’ should be known as the sixth river, and it is also called ‘Vibhāvarī ’. Thename of the seventh river is ‘Mahati ’, which is called also ‘Dhṛti ’. Apart from these, there are thousands of other small rivers, which have been joined in these major rivers after that.^[1]

Footnotes and references:

[1]:

Matsya Purāṇa, Ch.–122/45–75