Chapter 4 - Plakṣadvīpa and the other continents

Parāśara

Just as the land called Jambūdvīpa is ringed by an ocean of salty water, that ocean is surrounded by the land of Plakṣadvīpa, the ‘Land of the Pipal Tree’. 1

Jambūdvīpa is one hundred thousand leagues across, brahmin, and Plakṣadvīpa is said to be twice as wide again. 2

Medhātithi, lord of Plakṣadvīpa, had seven sons, the eldest of whom was Śāntabhaya, followed by Śiśira, 3

Sukhodaya, Ānanda, Śiva and Kṣemaka, with Dhruva as the seventh among them. All became rulers of Plakṣadvīpa. 4

The region named for its sovereign Śāntabhaya is the first, followed by Śiśira, Sukhada, Ānanda, Śiva, Kṣemaka and Dhruva. 5

The borders of each region are formed by seven ranges. Listen to their names, best of sages: 6

Gomeda, Candra, Nārada, Dundubhi, Somaka and Sumanas, with Mount Vaibhāja as the seventh. 7

In these pleasant ranges and the regions dwell blameless inhabitants, always in the company of deities and gandharvas. 8

In these locales are auspicious settlements whose residents enjoy long lives, free from pain and illness, always living happily. 9

The seven regions each have a river flowing to the sea. I’ll tell you all their names, as hearing them will wash away your sins: 10

Anutaptā, Śikhī, Vipāśā, Tridivā, Kramu and Amṛtā, with Sukṛtā as the seventh—such are the rivers found there. 11

I’ve told you about the mountains and the major rivers, but there are thousands of lesser chains and streams from which the inhabitants always delight in drinking. 12

In those seven regions, lifespans never shrink or grow, brahmin, as the cycle of four ages is unknown. 13

There, it’s always like the Tretā age, great sage. The inhabitants of the five continents between Plakṣadvīpa and Śākadvīpa, brahmin, 14

Live healthy lives for five millennia. On these five continents, occupations are determined by one’s community and stage of life. 15

There are four orders in Plakṣadvīpa; listen while I name them for you: 16

The Āryakas, Kuraras, Viviṃśas and Bhāvins are like our brahmins, kṣatriyas, vaiśyas and śūdras. 17

There’s one huge tree in the middle of Plakṣadvīpa, best of sages, as big as the jambū, called the plakṣa or pipal, hence its name. 18

All the communities there, beginning with the Āryakas, worship Lord Hari, the universal creator of the world and master of all, in the form of Soma the Moon. 19

Plakṣadvīpa is girt by a circular sea of syrup, as wide as the continent itself. 20

Śālmaladvīpa, ‘Land of the Cottonwood Tree’

I’ve briefly described the land of Plakṣadvīpa for you, Maitreya. Now you’ll hear about Śālmala from me. 21

The lord of Śālmala is the hero Vapuṣmant. Listen to the names of his sons, which are also the names of the seven regions: 22

Śveta, Harita, Jīmūta, Rohita, Vaidyuta, Mānasa and Suprabha, great sage. 23

The sea of syrup is ringed by the land of Śālmala, twice as wide as the sea itself. 24

This continent also has seven ranges, the source of jewels, which divide the regions, in addition to seven rivers: 25

Kumuda, Unnata, Balāhaka is the third, Mount Droṇa the great source of healing plants is fourth, 26

Kaṅka is the fifth, Mahiṣa the sixth and Kukudmant the seventh splendid mountain. Now you’ll hear the rivers’ names from me: 27

Yonī, Toyā, Vitṛṣṇā, Candrā, Śuklā and Vimocanī, with Nivṛtti as the seventh—all of which are thought to wash away one’s sins. 28

Śveta, Harita, Jīmūta, Rohita, Vaidyuta, Mānasa and especially the lovely Suprabha are the seven regions. There are also four communities. 29

Those who inhabit Śālmala, great sage, are the Kapilas, Aruṇas, Pītās and Kṛṣṇas,^[1] like our brahmins, kṣatriyas, vaiśyas and śūdras. 30

The pious population worships everlasting Viṣṇu, heart of all who constitutes the sacrifice, in the form of Vāyu, god of winds, with finest sacrifices. 31

Here in this very pleasant land, whose denizens enjoy the company of gods, there is a great śālmali, a cottonwood tree, bestowing perfect bliss. 32

Śālmala is ringed by a sea of wine as wide as the land itself. 33

This sea of wine is ringed by the land of Kuśadvīpa, twice as wide as Śālmala. 34

Kuśadvīpa, ‘Land of Kuśa-Grass’

In Kuśadvīpa, King Jyotiṣmant had seven sons. Listen to their names: 35

Udbhida, Veṇumant, Svairatha, Lambana, Dhṛti, Prabhākara and Kapila. These are also the names of the seven regions there. 36

In that land, people dwell with deities, Daityas, Dānavas, gandharvas, yakṣas, kimpuruṣas and the rest. 37

Here are also four communities, each devoted to their duties: Damins, Śuṣmins, Snehas and Mandehas, great sage, 38

Corresponding to our brahmins, kṣatriyas, vaiśyas and śūdras. 39

Because they undertake prescribed responsibilities, and in order to escape their earthly tasks, there on Kuśadvīpa, while worshipping Janārdana in the form of Brahmā, they abandon deeds that would otherwise result in further tedious duties.^[2] 40

Vidruma, Hemaśaila, Dyutimant, Puṣpavant, Kuśeśaya and Hari, with Mount Mandata as the seventh— 41

These are the seven ranges that divide the regions of that land, great sage. Now listen to the names of the seven streams in turn: 42

Dhūtapāpā, Śivā, Pavitrā, Saṃmati, Vidyudambhā, Mahī and Sarvapāpaharā, 43

In addition, there are thousands of lesser streams and mountains. Kuśadvīpa is thought to be named for a clump of kuśa-grass that grows there. 44

It’s ringed by a sea of ghee as wide as the land itself. That sea is then enclosed within the land of Krauñcadvīpa. 45

Krauñcadvīpa, ‘Land of Cranes’

Now you’ll hear about that other continent, Krauñcadvīpa, fortunate sage, twice as wide as Kuśadvīpa. 46

On Krauñcadvīpa, King Dyutimant had seven great sons, after whom he named its regions: 47

Kuśala, Manuga, Uṣṇa, Pīvara, Andhakāraka, Muni and Dundubhi—such were his seven sons, sage. 48

There are also pleasant mountain ranges between each region, inhabited by gods and gandharvas. Listen to their names: 49

Krauñca, Vāmana, Andhakāraka is the third, the fourth is jewel-bearing Svāhinī, which resembles a horse, Divāvṛt is the fifth, then comes Puṇḍarīkavant, 50

And then the great mountain Dundubhi. Just as each land is twice as wide as the one before it, each of these mountains is twice as high as the preceding one. 51

In all these pleasant regions, and in the ranges that divide them, dwell communities free from worry and attended by hosts of deities. 52

Their Puṣkaras, Puṣkalas, Dhanyas and Tiṣyas, great sage, are like our brahmins, kṣatriyas, vaiśyas and śūdras. 53

Now, Maitreya, you’ll hear about the seven major rivers from which they drink, but there are also smaller rivers by the hundred: 54

Gaurī, Kumudvatī, Saṃdhyā, Rātri, Manojavā, Khyāti and Puṇḍarīkā are the seven rivers of those regions. 55

Here, too, Lord Janārdana is worshipped by the Puṣkaras and other orders in the form of Rūdra, with offerings made in sacrifices. 56

Krauñcadvīpa is ringed all round by a sea of whey as wide as the land itself. 57

This sea is surrounded by Śākadvīpa, sage, which is twice as wide as Krauñcadvīpa. 58

Śākadvīpa, ‘Land of the Teak Tree’

Bhavya, the overlord of Śākadvīpa, had seven sons, to whom he gave the regions of his land: 59

Jalada, Kumāra, Sukumāra, Maṇīcaka, Kusumoda and Sumodāki, with Mahādruma as the seventh. 60

The seven regions, all named after these seven sons, are divided by seven ranges: 61

The first is Udayagiri, then Jaladhāra, Raivataka, Śyāma, Ambhogiri, Āmbikeya and delightful Kesarī, that excellent mountain, brahmin. 62

On that continent is a giant śāka—teak—enjoyed by siddhas and gandharvas. The touch of the breeze that passes through its leaves yields excellent refreshment. 63

There are pleasant settlements wherein dwell the four communities, and auspicious rivers that wash away all sins: 64

Sukumārī, Kumārī, Nalinī, Veṇukā, Ikṣu and Dhenukā, with Gabhastī as the seventh. 65

There are also tens of thousands of lesser streams, great sage, and myriad mountains. 66

The residents of Jalada and other regions descend from heaven to the earth to drink from these very rivers and, having done so, are refreshed. 67

Virtue is never lacking in these seven lands, nor are the inhabitants jealous of one another, nor do they transgress the boundaries of propriety. 68

The Magas, Māgadhas, Mānasas and Mandagas are the four communities. The Magas are in general like our brahmins, the Māgadhas our kṣatriyas, the Mānasas our vaiśyas and the Mandagas śūdras. 69

In Śākadvīpa, the communities I mentioned worship Viṣṇu in the form of Sūrya the Sun, sage, with perfect rituals, while holding themselves in check. 70

Śākadvīpa is ringed by a sea of milk as wide as the land itself, Maitreya, as if by a bracelet. 71

Puṣkara, ‘Land of the Banyan Tree’

The sea of milk is girt by the land called Puṣkara, brahmin, which is twice as wide as Śākadvīpa. 72

On Puṣkara, King Savana had but a pair of sons, Mahāvīra and Dhātika, and he named the regions of the continent after them: one Mahāvīra, the other Dhātakī. 73

The land has a single range of mountains dividing the regions, known as Mānasottara, blessed sage, which rings the centre of the continent like a bangle. 74

This circular range, fifty thousand leagues in height and fifty thousand wide, 75

Forms a ring in the middle of Puṣkara and divides the island down its centre, sage, being located in such a way that it separates the regions. 76

Thus, each region, as well as the range itself, is shaped like a bracelet. 77

This continent’s inhabitants live for ten millennia, free from sorrow and disease, knowing neither enmity nor passion. 78

They have no concept of worse or better, nor are there killers or killed, brahmin, nor is there jealousy, envy, anger, greed or malice. 79

The region of Mahāvīra lies beyond the Mānasottara range, while the Dhātakī region, inhabited by deities, Daityas and the rest, lies within it. 80

Ideas of right and wrong remain unknown in the land called Puṣkara, nor are there rivers or other ranges in this land of just two regions. 81

All its people resemble deities, 82

And need not follow the codes of practice otherwise prescribed for every order and stage of life, but are free from the need to practise virtue. The threefold Vedas, governance, trade and servitude are equally unknown. 83

These two regions are like the highest heaven on earth, Maitreya, and seasons are always pleasant, sage, as Puṣkara, Dhātakī and Mahāvīra are free from the woes of age and sickness. 84

The banyan tree that grows on Puṣkara is the preferred abode of Brahmā. There he dwells while worshipped by gods and demigods alike. 85

Puṣkara is ringed by a sea of fresh water as wide as the land itself. 86

Each of the seven continents is thus surrounded by an ocean, and each continent and ocean is twice as wide as the one that it encloses. 87

The volume of all these oceans is unchanging, and is never more or less, 88

But just as water in a cauldron seems to rise when it begins to seethe, best of sages, so, too, the waters of the oceans rise with the waxing of the moon. 89

The waters rise and fall without changing in their volume, in response to the rising and setting of the moon during the light and darker fortnights. 90

A tidal range of five hundred and ten inches has been observed in these oceans, great sage.^[3] 91

On the continent of Puṣkara, all inhabitants partake of food of sixfold flavours, brahmin, which arises of its own accord. 92

Beyond the ocean of fresh water is the land at the end of the world. It’s twice as wide as the ocean within it, but this realm, made of gold, is quite bereft of life. 93

The Lokāloka mountain range is ten thousand leagues in length and ten thousand high. 94

The space beyond the range is cloaked in utter darkness, and beyond the darkness everything lies within the shell of the cosmic egg. 95

This universe, including the outer shell, the lands, the seas and ranges, sage, is five hundred million leagues across. 96

It’s the mother and the nursemaid of every host of beings, Maitreya, and foundation of all the worlds. 97

So ends Chapter Four in Book Two of the glorious Viṣṇu Purāṇa.

Footnotes and references:

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[1]:

The names of the four communities of Śālmala literally mean ‘brown’, ‘red’, ‘yellow’ and ‘black’.

[2]:

That is, they are released from further rebirths.

[3]:

Wilson notes drily: ‘Although the Hindus seem to have had a notion of the cause of the tides, they were not very accurate observers of the effect’ (1961: 166).