The Continents and Jambudvipa

Verse 1 (markandeya.54.1)

क्रौष्टुकिरुवाच कतिद्वीपाः समुद्रा वा पर्वता वा कति द्विज । कियन्ति चैव वर्षाणि तेषां नद्यश्च का मुने ॥ 54.1 ॥

krauṣṭukiruvāca katidvīpāḥ samudrā vā parvatā vā kati dvija kiyanti caiva varṣāṇi teṣāṁ nadyaśca kā mune

Kraushtuki said: How many continents are there, O twice-born, or oceans, or mountains? And how many regions are there, and what, O sage, are their rivers?

Verse 2 (markandeya.54.2)

महाभूतप्रमाणञ्च लोकालोकन्तथैव च । पर्यासं परिमाणञ्च गतिञ्चन्द्रार्कयोरपि ॥ 54.2 ॥

mahābhūtapramāṇañca lokālokantathaiva ca paryāsaṁ parimāṇañca gatiñcandrārkayorapi

Also the measure of the great elements, and of the Lokaloka mountain, the extent and dimensions of things, and the movement of the moon and sun as well —

Verse 3 (markandeya.54.3)

एतत् प्रब्रूहि मे सर्वं विस्तरेण महामुने ॥ 54.3 ॥

etat prabrūhi me sarvaṁ vistareṇa mahāmune

tell me all this in full detail, O great sage.

Verse 4 (markandeya.54.4)

मार्कण्डेय उवाच शतार्धकोटिविस्तारा पृथिवी कृत्स्त्रशो द्विज । तस्या हि स्थानमखिलं कथयामि शृणुष्व तत् ॥ 54.4 ॥

mārkaṇḍeya uvāca śatārdhakoṭivistārā pṛthivī kṛtstraśo dvija tasyā hi sthānamakhilaṁ kathayāmi śṛṇuṣva tat

Markandeya said: The earth, in its entirety, O twice-born, is fifty crores of yojanas in extent; I shall tell its whole arrangement — hear it now.

Verse 5 (markandeya.54.5)

ये ते द्वीपा मया प्रोक्ता जम्बुद्वीपादयो द्विज । पुष्करान्ता महाभाग ! शृण्वेषां विस्तरं पुनः ॥ 54.5 ॥

ye te dvīpā mayā proktā jambudvīpādayo dvija puṣkarāntā mahābhāga ! śṛṇveṣāṁ vistaraṁ punaḥ

The continents that I have already named — Jambudvipa and the rest, ending with Pushkara, O most fortunate one — hear now their extent once more.

Verse 6 (markandeya.54.6)

द्वीपात् तु द्विगुणो द्वीपो जम्बुः प्लक्षोऽथ शाल्मलः । कुशः क्रौञ्चस्तथा शाकः पुष्करद्वीप एव च ॥ 54.6 ॥

dvīpāt tu dviguṇo dvīpo jambuḥ plakṣo'tha śālmalaḥ kuśaḥ krauñcastathā śākaḥ puṣkaradvīpa eva ca

Each continent is twice the size of the one before it — Jambu, then Plaksha, and Shalmala, Kusha, Krauncha, Shaka, and Pushkara-dvipa —

Verse 7 (markandeya.54.7)

लवणेक्षु-सुरा-सर्पिर्दधि-दुग्धःजलाब्धिभिः । द्विगुणैर्द्विगुणैर्वृद्ध्या सर्वतः परिवेष्टिताः ॥ 54.7 ॥

lavaṇekṣu-surā-sarpirdadhi-dugdhaḥjalābdhibhiḥ dviguṇairdviguṇairvṛddhyā sarvataḥ pariveṣṭitāḥ

each is entirely encircled, each ocean again doubling the one before, by seas of salt water, sugarcane-juice, wine, ghee, curd, milk, and fresh water, in that order.

Verse 8 (markandeya.54.8)

जम्बुद्वीपस्य संस्थानं प्रवक्ष्येऽहं निबोध मे । लक्षमेकं योजनानां वृत्तौ विस्तारदैर्घ्यतः ॥ 54.8 ॥

jambudvīpasya saṁsthānaṁ pravakṣye'haṁ nibodha me lakṣamekaṁ yojanānāṁ vṛttau vistāradairghyataḥ

Now I shall describe the form of Jambudvipa; learn it from me. It measures a hundred thousand yojanas in circular breadth and length.

Verse 9 (markandeya.54.9)

हिमवान् हेमकूटश्च ऋषभो मेरुरेव च । नीलः श्वेतस्तथा शृङ्गी सप्तास्मिन् वर्षपर्वताः ॥ 54.9 ॥

himavān hemakūṭaśca ṛṣabho merureva ca nīlaḥ śvetastathā śṛṅgī saptāsmin varṣaparvatāḥ

Himavan, and Hemakuta, Rishabha, and Meru itself, Nila, Shveta, and Shringi — these are the seven boundary-mountains within it.

Verse 10 (markandeya.54.10)

द्वौ लक्षयोजनायामौ मध्ये तत्र महाचलौ । तयोर्दक्षिणतो यौ तु यौ तथोत्तरतो गिरी ॥ 54.10 ॥

dvau lakṣayojanāyāmau madhye tatra mahācalau tayordakṣiṇato yau tu yau tathottarato girī

Two great mountains, each two hundred thousand yojanas long, lie in the middle; and to their south, and likewise to their north, are further mountains,

Verse 11 (markandeya.54.11)

दशभिर्दशभिर्न्यूनैः सहस्रैस्तैः परस्परम् । द्विसाहस्त्रोच्छ्रयाः सर्वे तावद्विस्तारिणश्च ते ॥ 54.11 ॥

daśabhirdaśabhirnyūnaiḥ sahasraistaiḥ parasparam dvisāhastrocchrayāḥ sarve tāvadvistāriṇaśca te

each successively ten thousand yojanas smaller than the one before; all of them rise two thousand yojanas high, and are equally broad.

Verse 12 (markandeya.54.12)

समुद्रान्तः प्रविष्टाश्च षडस्मिन् वर्षपर्वताः । दक्षिणोत्तरतो निम्ना मध्ये तुङ्गायता क्षितिः ॥ 54.12 ॥

samudrāntaḥ praviṣṭāśca ṣaḍasmin varṣaparvatāḥ dakṣiṇottarato nimnā madhye tuṅgāyatā kṣitiḥ

Six of these boundary-mountains extend right into the ocean; the land is low to the south and north, and rises high and long in the middle.

Verse 13 (markandeya.54.13)

वेद्यर्धे दक्षिमे त्रीणि त्रीणि वर्षाणि चोत्तरे । इलावृतं तयोर्मध्ये चन्द्रार्धाकारवत् स्थितम् ॥ 54.13 ॥

vedyardhe dakṣime trīṇi trīṇi varṣāṇi cottare ilāvṛtaṁ tayormadhye candrārdhākāravat sthitam

In the southern half there are three regions, and likewise three in the north; between them lies Ilavrita, shaped like a half-moon.

Verse 14 (markandeya.54.14)

ततः पूर्वेण भद्राश्वं केतुमालञ्च पश्चिमे । इलावृतस्य मध्ये तु मेरुः कनकपर्वतः ॥ 54.14 ॥

tataḥ pūrveṇa bhadrāśvaṁ ketumālañca paścime ilāvṛtasya madhye tu meruḥ kanakaparvataḥ

Then, to its east, is Bhadrashva, and to the west, Ketumala; in the middle of Ilavrita stands Meru, the golden mountain.

Verse 15 (markandeya.54.15)

चतुरशीतिसाहस्त्रस्तस्योच्छ्रायो महागिरेः । प्रविष्टः षोडशाधस्ताद्विस्तीर्णः षोडशैव तु ॥ 54.15 ॥

caturaśītisāhastrastasyocchrāyo mahāgireḥ praviṣṭaḥ ṣoḍaśādhastādvistīrṇaḥ ṣoḍaśaiva tu

The height of that great mountain is eighty-four thousand yojanas; it sinks sixteen thousand yojanas below, and its breadth too is sixteen thousand.

Verse 16 (markandeya.54.16)

शरावसंस्थितत्वाच्च द्वात्रिंशन्मूर्ध्नि विस्तृतः । शुक्लः पीतोऽसितो रक्तः प्राच्यादिषु यथाक्रमम् ॥ 54.16 ॥

śarāvasaṁsthitatvācca dvātriṁśanmūrdhni vistṛtaḥ śuklaḥ pīto'sito raktaḥ prācyādiṣu yathākramam

Being shaped like an upturned bowl, it spreads to thirty-two thousand yojanas at its summit; it is, in order, white, yellow, black, and red in the eastern and other quarters,

Verse 17 (markandeya.54.17)

विप्रो वैश्यस्तथा शूद्रः क्षत्रियश्च स्ववर्णतः । तस्योपरि तथैवाष्टौ पुर्यो दिक्षु यथाक्रमम् ॥ 54.17 ॥

vipro vaiśyastathā śūdraḥ kṣatriyaśca svavarṇataḥ tasyopari tathaivāṣṭau puryo dikṣu yathākramam

answering, each by its own hue, to the brahmin, the vaishya, the shudra, and the kshatriya. Above it, in the four quarters in order, are the eight cities of Indra and the other guardians of the directions,

Verse 18 (markandeya.54.18)

इन्द्रादिलोकपालानां तन्मध्ये ब्रह्मणः सभा । योजनानां सहस्राणि चतुर्दश समुच्छ्रिता ॥ 54.18 ॥

indrādilokapālānāṁ tanmadhye brahmaṇaḥ sabhā yojanānāṁ sahasrāṇi caturdaśa samucchritā

and in their midst is Brahma's assembly-hall, rising fourteen thousand yojanas high.

Verse 19 (markandeya.54.19)

अयुतोच्छ्रायास्तस्याधस्तथा विषकम्भवर्वताः । प्राच्यादिषु क्रमेणैव मन्दरो गन्धमादनः ॥ 54.19 ॥

ayutocchrāyāstasyādhastathā viṣakambhavarvatāḥ prācyādiṣu krameṇaiva mandaro gandhamādanaḥ

Below it are the buttress-mountains, ten thousand yojanas high; in the eastern and other quarters, in order, are Mandara, Gandhamadana,

Verse 20 (markandeya.54.20)

विपुलश्च सुपार्श्वश्च केतुपादपशोभिताः । कदम्बो मन्दरे केतुर्जम्बुव गन्धमादने ॥ 54.20 ॥

vipulaśca supārśvaśca ketupādapaśobhitāḥ kadambo mandare keturjambuva gandhamādane

Vipula, and Suparshva, adorned with their banner-trees. On Mandara the banner-tree is the kadamba, on Gandhamadana the jambu,

Verse 21 (markandeya.54.21)

विपुले च तथाश्वत्थः सुपार्श्वे च वटो महान् । एकादशशतायामा योजनानामिमे नगाः ॥ 54.21 ॥

vipule ca tathāśvatthaḥ supārśve ca vaṭo mahān ekādaśaśatāyāmā yojanānāmime nagāḥ

on Vipula likewise the ashvattha (fig tree), and on Suparshva the great banyan. These mountains extend eleven hundred yojanas.

Verse 22 (markandeya.54.22)

जठरो देवकूटश्च पूर्वस्यां दिशि पर्वतौ । आनीलनिषधौ प्राप्तौ परस्परनिरन्तरौ ॥ 54.22 ॥

jaṭharo devakūṭaśca pūrvasyāṁ diśi parvatau ānīlaniṣadhau prāptau parasparanirantarau

Jathara and Devakuta are two mountains in the eastern quarter, extending unbroken from Nila to Nishadha.

Verse 23 (markandeya.54.23)

निषधः पारियात्रश्च मेरोः पार्श्वे तु पश्चिमे । यथा पूर्वौ तथा चैतावानीलनिषधायतौ ॥ 54.23 ॥

niṣadhaḥ pāriyātraśca meroḥ pārśve tu paścime yathā pūrvau tathā caitāvānīlaniṣadhāyatau

Nishadha and Pariyatra lie on the western side of Meru; just as the two eastern mountains, so these too extend from Nila to Nishadha.

Verse 24 (markandeya.54.24)

कैलासो हिमवांश्चैव दक्षिणेन महाचलौ । पूर्वपश्चायतावेतावर्णवान्तर्व्यवस्थितौ ॥ 54.24 ॥

kailāso himavāṁścaiva dakṣiṇena mahācalau pūrvapaścāyatāvetāvarṇavāntarvyavasthitau

Kailasa and Himavan are two great mountains in the south, extending east to west, reaching into the ocean itself.

Verse 25 (markandeya.54.25)

शृङ्गवान् जारुधिश्चैव तथैवोत्तरपर्वतौ । यतैव दक्षिणे तद्वदर्णप्वान्तर्व्यवस्थितौ ॥ 54.25 ॥

śṛṅgavān jārudhiścaiva tathaivottaraparvatau yataiva dakṣiṇe tadvadarṇapvāntarvyavasthitau

Shringavan and Jarudhi are likewise the two mountains of the north; just as in the south, so these too reach into the ocean.

Verse 26 (markandeya.54.26)

मर्यादापर्वता ह्येते कथ्यन्तेऽष्टौ द्विजोत्तम । हिमवद्धेमकूटादिपर्वतानां परस्परम् ॥ 54.26 ॥

maryādāparvatā hyete kathyante'ṣṭau dvijottama himavaddhemakūṭādiparvatānāṁ parasparam

These, O best of the twice-born, are called the eight boundary mountains. Between Himavan, Hemakuta, and the other mountains, from one to the next,

Verse 27 (markandeya.54.27)

नवयोजनसाहस्त्रं प्रागुदग्दक्षिणोत्तरम् । मेरोरिलावृते तद्वदन्तरे वै चतुर्दिशम् ॥ 54.27 ॥

navayojanasāhastraṁ prāgudagdakṣiṇottaram merorilāvṛte tadvadantare vai caturdiśam

the distance is nine thousand yojanas, to the north, south, and in between; likewise, between Meru and Ilavrita too, the same distance holds in each of the four directions.

Verse 28 (markandeya.54.28)

फलानि यानि वै जम्ब्वाः गन्धमादनपर्वते । गजदेहप्रमाणानि पतन्ति गिरिमूर्धनि ॥ 54.28 ॥

phalāni yāni vai jambvāḥ gandhamādanaparvate gajadehapramāṇāni patanti girimūrdhani

The fruits of the jambu tree on Mount Gandhamadana, of the size of an elephant's body, fall upon the mountain's summit.

Verse 29 (markandeya.54.29)

तेषां स्त्रावात् प्रभवति ख्याता जम्बूनदीति वै । यत्र जाम्बूनदं नाम कनकं सम्प्रजायते ॥ 54.29 ॥

teṣāṁ strāvāt prabhavati khyātā jambūnadīti vai yatra jāmbūnadaṁ nāma kanakaṁ samprajāyate

From their juice arises the river famed by the name Jambu, where the gold called Jambunada is produced.

Verse 30 (markandeya.54.30)

सा परिक्रम्य वै मेरुं जम्बूमूलं पुनर्नदी । विशति द्विजशार्दूल ! पीयमाना जनैश्च तैः ॥ 54.30 ॥

sā parikramya vai meruṁ jambūmūlaṁ punarnadī viśati dvijaśārdūla ! pīyamānā janaiśca taiḥ

That river, having circled around Meru, enters again at the root of the jambu tree, O best of the twice-born, and is drunk there by its people.

Verse 31 (markandeya.54.31)

भद्राश्वेऽश्वशिरा विष्णुर्भारते कूर्मसंस्थितिः । वराहः केतुमाले च मत्स्यरूपस्तथोत्तरे ॥ 54.31 ॥

bhadrāśve'śvaśirā viṣṇurbhārate kūrmasaṁsthitiḥ varāhaḥ ketumāle ca matsyarūpastathottare

In Bhadrashva, Vishnu abides in the form of Hayagriva, horse-headed; in Bharata he abides as the tortoise; in Ketumala as the boar; and in the northern region as the fish.

Verse 32 (markandeya.54.32)

तेषु नक्षत्रविन्यासाद्विषयाः समवस्थिताः । चतुर्ष्वपि द्विजश्रेष्ठ ! ग्रहाभिभवपाठकाः ॥ 54.32 ॥

teṣu nakṣatravinyāsādviṣayāḥ samavasthitāḥ caturṣvapi dvijaśreṣṭha ! grahābhibhavapāṭhakāḥ

In these four regions, O best of the twice-born, the domains are arranged according to the disposition of the constellations, and in all four there are those learned in the influence of the planets.