novelraw Arc 1 - Jamvu-Khanda Nirmana and Bhumi Parva Chapter 3 - The Worlds Visible and Unseen
Arc 1 - Jamvu-Khanda Nirmana and Bhumi Parva Chapter 3 - The Worlds Visible and Unseen
Vaiśampāyana said:
“When the blind monarch, Dhṛtarāṣṭra, heard of the earth’s design and the island of Sudarśana, his mind hungered for greater understanding. In reverent tone, he said to Sanjaya, endowed with the vision granted by Vyāsa’s boon—”
“O Sanjaya, thou seer of light,
Whose mind perceives both day and night,
Tell me in full, not brief, again,
The lands and peaks beyond our ken.
The isle that gleams like lunar fire,
Its hare-shaped form doth me inquire;
Reveal its breadth from east to west,
Then speak of where the pīpala rests.”
“Thus addressed, Sanjaya, steadfast and wise, began his sacred discourse, painting before the king the map of the divine earth as seen by seers and sung by gods.”
Sanjaya said:
“Listen, O King of men, to the holy measure of the world! From east to west stretch six mighty mountains, equal in length and grandeur, touching both the oceans that gird the earth. These are:
Himavat, clothed in eternal snow;Hemakūṭa, gleaming with golden hue;Niṣadha, lofty and solemn;Nīla, resplendent with stones of lapis lazuli;Śveta, bright as the autumn moon; andŚṛṅgavat, glittering with veins of every metal.These six, O King, are sanctified by the tread of Siddhas and Cāraṇas. Between each pair lies a space of a thousand yojanas, filled with lands of delight, kingdoms, rivers, and peoples. Each such division is called a Varṣa, a realm under heaven’s care.”
“Six mountains crown the world’s great girth,
Six walls of gold that ring the earth;
Between them dwell both god and man,
As Dharma’s chart of lands began.
Each space a thousand leagues apart,
Each realm a world, a living heart;
Varṣas seven by heaven named,
By sages sung, by seers acclaimed.”
Sanjaya continued:
“This very land wherein we dwell is called Bhārata-varṣa. North of it lies the realm of Haimavata, beyond which spreads Harivarṣa. South of Nīla and north of Niṣadha rises Mālyavat, while beyond Mālyavat shines Gandhamādana. Between these two stands the golden mountain Meru, round and radiant as the rising sun.
O King, Meru towers eighty-four thousand yojanas high, and descends to equal depth beneath. It holds within itself the balance of the three worlds — above, below, and across. Around it, like petals round a lotus, lie the four islands: Bhadrāśva, Ketumāla, Jambudvīpa (also called Bhārata), and Uttarakuru, abode of the righteous.”
“Gold is Meru’s sacred frame,
Fireless flame and light the same;
Worlds above and worlds below,
Round its peak in radiance glow.
Bhadrāśva east, Ketumāla west,
Jambudvīpa south by men possessed;
And Uttarakuru, pure and high,
Northward touches the holy sky.”
Sanjaya said further:
“The bird Sumukha, son of mighty Suparṇa, once departed from Meru, seeing that every bird there shone with golden wings, and no mark of virtue or vice remained distinct. Around Meru, the Sun and Moon perpetually revolve; so too the Wind-God in his eternal course. The mountain gleams with celestial trees and jeweled halls made of burnished gold. There the gods, the Gandharvas, the Asuras
, and Rākṣasas sport eternally with hosts of Apsarases.There also, Brahmā, Rudra, and Śakra perform great sacrifices, while Tumburu, Nārada, Viśvāvasu, Hāhā, and Hūhū hymn the divine with songs of devotion. The Seven Ṛṣis, and Kaśyapa, lord of beings, visit that summit at every parvan. And there the sage Uśanas, known as Śukra, the poet among the Daityas, dwells in meditation.
All jewels, metals, and gems known to men spring from the veins of Meru, though only a sixteenth part of their wealth is granted by Kubera to mortals; a fourth he keeps for himself.”
“On Meru’s peak the gods abide,
Where gold and flame in splendor ride;
There Brahmā’s word and Śiva’s will,
In timeless yajña linger still.
From Meru’s veins bright jewels flow,
To Kubera’s vaults their brilliance go;
One part alone to mortals sent,
The rest with gods resplendent.”
Sanjaya continued:
“North of Meru lies the forest of golden Karṇikāras, perfumed by blossoms of every hue. There dwells Maheśvara, the great Pāśupati, radiant as a thousand suns, with Goddess Umā beside him. His garland of Karṇikāra flowers touches his feet, and his three eyes burn with light. Only the Siddhas
of pure vow may behold him; for sinners he remains unseen.
From that summit descends the celestial river Gaṅgā, streaming like milk from heaven, crashing down into the lake of the moon — Candramaśa-tīrtha. For a hundred thousand years she was borne upon Śiva’s matted locks, lest the earth be shattered by her force.
West of Meru lies Ketumāla, and there also Jambukhanda, realms where men live for ten thousand years, radiant as molten gold, free from sorrow and disease. Their women are like Apsarases, and their hearts are ever glad.”
“From Śiva’s brow the river white,
Leaps down in roaring, silver light;
Gaṅgā’s song through heaven streams,
A hymn of stars, a fall of dreams.
In Ketumāla’s golden land,
Men live by joy, by virtue’s hand;
Their years like fragrance never die,
Their eyes like suns beneath the sky.”
Sanjaya said:
“On Gandhamādana, Kubera dwells with his Guhyakas and hosts of Rākṣasas, surrounded by dancing Apsarases. Northward of Nīla lie the realms Śveta, Hiraṇyaka, and Airāvata, filled with provinces and wonders.
Of the seven Varṣas — Bhārata, Haimavata, Harivarṣa, Ilāvṛta, Śveta, Hiraṇyaka, and Airāvata — the northern ever surpasses the southern in life, virtue, stature, and joy. In these lands, creatures of many kinds dwell together in harmony. Thus is the world adorned with mountains, rivers, and realms of men and gods.
To the north, Hemakūṭa is famed as Kailāsa, where Kubera rejoices with his celestial followers. North of it shines Manimaya, crowned with golden peaks beside the crystal lake Vindusaras, whose sands glitter like powdered gold. There Bhagiratha dwelt long in penance, seeking Gaṅgā’s descent. There also Śakra performed his thousand sacrifices and attained immortal fame.
Upon those heights abide Nara and Nārāyaṇa, Brahmā, Manu, and Śiva — the five eternal presences. From there Gaṅgā divides into seven streams: Vasu-Okasāra, Nālinī, the sin-cleansing Sarasvatī, Jāmbūnādi
, Sītā, Gaṅgā, and Sindhu. Some parts of Sarasvatī flow visible, others vanish beneath the earth — yet all purify the worlds.Rakṣasas dwell on Himavat, Guhyakas
on Hemakūṭa, Nāgas on Niṣadha, ascetics on Gokarṇa, Gandharvas on Niṣadha’s slopes, and the Devas on Śṛṅgavat.
Thus, O King, are the seven Varṣas divided across the world, each filled with creatures, riches, and marvels both divine and mortal. Those who seek truth accept these words, for such is the shape of the hare-formed Jambudvīpa, whose two Varṣas lie at its extremities, and whose ears are the twin islands Nāga-dvīpa and Kāśyapa-dvīpa. The red-ridged mountains of Maleya, like copper plates in sunlight, form her southern body. Such, O Bharata, is the world thou wouldst know.”
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“The mountains stand like ribs of flame,
The rivers sing the Maker’s name;
The world a wheel, the earth a prayer,
A golden hare afloat in air.
Thus Sanjaya, in vision wide,
Revealed the Earth on every side;
And Dhṛtarāṣṭra, though blind of eye,
Beheld through truth the cosmic sky.”
Vaiśampāyana said:
“When Dhṛtarāṣṭra, ever eager to behold through wisdom what his eyes could not perceive, heard Sanjaya’s vast account of Meru and the Varṣas, he asked again—his voice low, filled with wonder.”
“O Sanjaya, thou seer of light,
Who knowest both the day and night,
Tell me of Meru’s northern face,
And eastern lands of charm and grace.
Describe the peaks where gods have trod,
The mount of Mālyavat, seat of God;
Thou who seest through the veil of sky,
Speak, O sage, that I may know thereby.”
Sanjaya said:
“Listen, O King of the Kurus, to the holy geography of the North and East of Meru, where heaven itself seems to dwell upon the earth.
South of the Nīla mountain and north of golden Meru lies the sacred region known as Uttara-Kuru, the blessed land of the Siddhas and the faultless ones. There the trees never wither, bearing fruit and blossom in every season. The air is perfumed with fragrance, and the ground glows with the dust of gold.
Some trees yield fruit at the mere wish of the plucker; others pour forth milk and food sweet as amṛta. These milk-yielding trees, O king, produce six sacred essences — sustenance divine. From their fruits come also garments soft as the wind, and ornaments of radiant sheen.
The soil sparkles like powdered ruby and sapphire, and its waters gleam like crystal. The seasons there are gentle, neither heat nor cold distressing its people. The lakes are clear as mirrors, their waters cool and delightful.”
“There the trees to will obey,
Bloom and bear both night and day;
Milk and honey from them stream,
Food of gods and nectar’s gleam.
The soil is gold, the air perfume,
Each flower defies the sun and gloom;
And peace like fragrance fills the land,
Where joy and virtue walk hand in hand.”
Sanjaya continued:
“The people born in that realm descend from celestial beings; they are all of pure birth and radiant beauty. Twins — male and female — are born together, equal in form, virtue, and affection. As cakravāka birds that mate for life, they dwell in love and harmony.
They are free from disease and sorrow, their years extending to ten thousand and a thousand more. Death to them is gentle, and when they pass away, mighty birds called Bharundas, with beaks of iron and wings of storm, lift their bodies and bear them to the mountain caves. Thus, O King, is the land of the Northern Kurus — serene, radiant, and divine.”
“No tears are known, no grief, no age,
Their hearts are light, their souls are sage;
In twin-born love their lives unfold,
And death is peace, not dark nor cold.
When life is spent, the Bharundas fly,
And bear them singing to the sky;
The caves of Meru hold their rest,
Their spirits joined with Brahman blest.”
Sanjaya said further:
“Now hear of the eastern side of Meru, O King, where the sacred realm of Bhadrāśva lies. There stands a vast forest of Bhadrāsala trees and one mighty tree, Kālamra, adored by Siddhas and Cāraṇas. It towers a yojana in height, ever laden with flowers and fruits.
The people of Bhadrāśva are white as the autumn moon, radiant and strong. Their women shine like lilies, cool as moonlight, skilled in song and dance, and blessed with eternal youth. They live ten thousand years, O King, nourished by the sweet nectar that flows from the Kālamra’s fruits.”
“White as light of moon’s embrace,
Are the folk of Bhadrāśva’s place;
Their joy eternal, hearts serene,
Their days unnumbered, pure, and clean.
The Kālamra blooms through endless years,
Its fruit the food of gods and seers;
Who tastes its juice knows youth anew,
And age forgets what time once knew.”
Sanjaya said:
“Between Nīla and Niṣadha rises the eternal Jambu Tree, adored by gods and sages. It is this divine tree that gives its name to Jambudvīpa. A thousand and one hundred yojanas high, it touches heaven itself. Its ripe fruits, vast as cities, fall with thunderous sound, and when they burst upon the earth, they pour forth a silvery stream — the Jambu-rasa.
That stream encircles Meru, flowing northward to the land of the Northern Kurus. Those who drink its essence gain serenity of mind, freedom from thirst and decay. From its residue is formed a celestial gold called Jāmbūnada, bright as the wings of Indragopa insects, used by the gods for ornaments. The men of that realm shine like the morning sun.”
“From Jambu’s fruit the nectar flows,
A silver stream where wisdom grows;
Who drinks thereof no thirst shall feel,
No age shall mar, no grief shall steal.
Jāmbūnada’s gold divine,
Shines like dawn in heaven’s line;
Men there gleam with solar flame,
And life is endless, free from shame.”
Sanjaya continued:
“Now hear, O king, of the Mount Mālyavat, sacred and resplendent. Upon its summit burns the fire Saṃvātaka, which at the end of each age blazes forth to dissolve the universe. The mountain stretches eleven thousand yojanas, crowned with smaller peaks glowing like embers at dawn.
The men born there are golden in hue, fallen from Brahma’s world for the good of creation. They live in austerity, drawing their vital breath upward, ever absorbed in the recitation of Brahma-mantras. For the protection of beings they enter the orb of the Sun, preceding Aruṇa, the charioteer of the dawn. Sixty-six thousand in number they move before the Sun’s face, bearing his radiance through the heavens. Heated by his rays for sixty-six thousand years, they pass into the lunar disc, resting there in coolness and light.”
“Upon Mālyavat’s golden crest,
The fire of Time prepares its rest;
There Brahma’s sons in silence dwell,
Who guard the Sun with chant and spell.
They lead the dawn through heaven’s door,
And drink the light forevermore;
Then, cooled within the moon’s embrace,
They sleep in peace, the sons of grace.”
Vaiśampāyana said:
“When the old king, Dhṛtarāṣṭra, whose eyes had seen neither sun nor moon, but whose heart longed to behold the cosmos through wisdom, heard Sanjaya’s words describing the sacred realms of the world, he spoke once more — his tone reverent, his spirit aflame with yearning.”
“O Sanjaya, thou all-seeing seer,
Whose words make hidden worlds appear,
Tell me, I pray, of every land,
And all the mounts on earth that stand.
Tell me their dwellers’ race and age,
Whose lives unfold in time’s vast page;
Reveal the peaks where devas play,
And mortals dream in light’s array.”
Sanjaya said:
“Listen, O King of the Kurus, to the truth of all the Varṣas and mountains that gird the sacred Earth, as sung by the sages who see with celestial sight.
To the south of Śveta and north of Niṣadha lies the shining realm of Romanaka-varṣa. The men born there, O monarch, are fair of hue, born of noble lineage, gentle, and without foes. Joy dwells in their hearts as naturally as fragrance in flowers. They live for eleven thousand and five hundred years, free from disease and sorrow, their spirits radiant as moonlight.”
“In Romanaka’s silver plain,
No heart knows grief, no soul knows pain;
Their years flow long, their peace is deep,
For joy is harvest, love is sleep.”
Sanjaya continued:
“South of Niṣadha lies the golden land of Hiraṇmaya-varṣa, through which flows the shining river Hiraṇvatī. There dwells Garuḍa, the foremost of birds, lord of the sky, radiant as fire and as swift as thought.
The people there, followers of the Yakṣas, are strong, virtuous, and adorned with beauty. Their lives span twelve thousand and five hundred years. They live in harmony, their hearts gladdened by wealth and righteousness.”
“Where Hiraṇvatī’s waters gleam,
Garuḍa guards her golden stream;
Her children bright as dawn’s own fire,
Sing hymns that lift the gods yet higher.”
Sanjaya said:
“North of Śṛṅgavat mountain, up to the edge of the sea, lies the resplendent Airāvata-varṣa, blessed beyond compare. There stands the jewelled mountain itself, adorned with mansions of crystal and halls of light.
There, O king, the sun burns not; the moon and stars alone illumine the heavens. The people are lotus-hued, with eyes like lotus petals, their fragrance sweet as the lotus bloom. They eat not, nor hunger, nor thirst; their bodies are pure and scent themselves. They never close their eyes, for they are of divine descent — fallen from celestial realms yet stainless in spirit.
Their lives endure for thirteen thousand years, unmarred by decay or shadow. Their speech is music, their hearts are tranquil as lakes beneath the moon.”
“In Airāvata’s gem-lit land,
Where sun is soft and stars expand,
The lotus-men in fragrance dwell,
Their eyes like moonlight — deep and well.
They need no food, they fear no night,
For they are born of heaven’s light;
In them no sin nor shadow lies,
Their breath is prayer, their words are wise.”
Sanjaya continued:
“And know, O king, that beyond the northern sea of milk, on a car of gold radiant as fire, dwells the Lord Hari, the Eternal, the Infinite. His chariot, built of Jāmbūnada gold, blazes with eight wheels and is drawn by the power of thought itself. Around Him stand hosts of divine beings, and the car speeds swifter than the wind.
There dwells He whom the wise call Viṣṇu, the All-pervading; whom the gods name Vaikuṇṭha, the Immeasurable; whom the Vedas hail as the Sacrifice embodied. He is the earth and her foundation, He is water and its purity, air and its motion, fire and its light, space and its vastness. In Him all beings live, act, and rest. He is the actor and the cause of action; He is both seed and fruit, creation and dissolution.
When the worlds are born, they arise from Him; when they fade, they return to Him. He is the witness, the path, the goal, and the home of all.”
“Beyond the sea where moonbeams sleep,
On golden car through lightnings leap,
There Hari dwells — the deathless flame,
The soul of worlds, by many a name.
He is the fire, the rain, the breath,
The womb of life, the gate of death;
From Him all form and formless flow,
And unto Him all beings go.”