Stories of the Great Bharata - A Retelling

Arc 1 - Jamvu-Khanda Nirmana and Bhumi Parva Chapter 5 - The Sky and the Celestial Objects

Vaiśampāyana said:

Then the wise Sanjaya, seeing Dhṛtarāṣṭra’s mind thirsting for the measureless wonders of the Earth, spoke again of the sacred islands, the northern seas, and the great orbs that wheel through the firmament.

“O King,” said he, “beyond the lands of men,

Lie seas where mortals strive not, nor are slain.

Hear now of islands bathed in light,

Of sacred peaks and oceans white.”

Sanjaya continued:

“O descendant of Kuru, beyond Jambūdvīpa stretch the shining northern isles, each one double the size of the one before. Around them lie vast oceans, each of wondrous hue and taste.

The first is an ocean of clarified butter, smooth and golden as sacrifice itself. Beyond it spreads an ocean of curds, white as the milk of heaven. Next comes the wine-colored sea, where the waves gleam crimson like dawn’s own robe. Beyond that flows once more the ocean of pure water, radiant, unending, and filled with fragrance.

Each isle is encircled by these oceans, O King, their lands gleaming like lamps upon the cosmic sea.”

“Milk and curd, and honeyed wine,

Flow round the worlds in courses fine;

Butter seas in radiance run—

Reflections of the deathless Sun.”

In the island at the centre stands Mount Gaurā, a mass of red arsenic, blazing like fire. To the west rises the sacred Mount Kṛṣṇa, beloved of Nārāyaṇa. There, Keśava guards celestial jewels and, in his compassion, grants joy to all beings.

The divine clump of Kuśa-grass in Kuśadvīpa, and the vast Śālmali tree in the island of Śālmali, are adored by gods and ascetics alike. Upon the island of Krauñcha towers the mountain Mahākrauñcha, resplendent with every gem and revered by all the four orders of men.

There too shines Mount Gomanta, made of diverse metals, where abides Hari—Nārāyaṇa himself—mingling freely with the liberated souls, radiant as a thousand suns.

In Kuśadvīpa rises another mountain of gold and coral, inaccessible and glorious, called by the name of that very island. Nearby stands Sumida, gleaming with red light, and Harigiri, the golden hill of auspicious breezes.

“Six peaks of splendour pierce the sky,

Each higher born as years go by;

Their hearts of flame, their crowns of stone,

Where gods in silence dwell alone.”

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Between each of these mountains lies a Varṣa, or realm, each twice the breadth of the one before. Their names, O King, are sung by the seers:

Audhīda, Venumandala, Sūratha, Kāmalā, Dhṛtimat, Prabhākara, and Kapila.

In these divine realms dwell the Devas, Gandharvas, and Siddhas, joyfully moving without birth or death. No robbers, no sorrow, no deceit touch those shores; all are fair of hue, gentle of heart, and radiant as moonlight.

“Now hear of the farther isles,” said Sanjaya, “for beyond these shine Krauñchadvīpa, Śālmali, and Kuśadvīpa, each with its jeweled mountains and sacred lands. Upon Krauñcha rises the mountain Krauñcha itself; next to it stands Vāmanaka, then Andhakāra, then Maināka, then Govinda, and beyond them all the luminous Nivida.

Between each mountain the distances double, widening like the breath of eternity.

The lands adjoining them bear holy names—Kusala, Manonuga, Uṣṇa, Pravāraka, Andhakaraka, Munideśa, and Dundubhīsvana, thronged with Siddhas and Cāraṇas, bright of skin and peaceful of soul.

In the island of Puṣkara, the mountain Puṣkara itself rises, blazing with gems; there dwells the divine Prajāpati, the Lord of Creatures. The gods and ṛṣis worship him with sacred chants, offering the jewels of Jambūdvīpa as tribute to his glory.”

“Puṣkara shines with jewelled fire,

Home of the One whom all desire;

There gods and sages bow in awe,

Before the source of life and law.”

Sanjaya continued:

“In all these northern islands, the virtues of men—truth, continence, strength, and long life—grow in the same ratio as the lands themselves, each double the grace of the one before. In each island dwells one faith, for that land alone is called a country where one religion abides.

There reigns the Supreme Prajāpati, Lord of Dharma, holding aloft the Rod of Law. He is King and Father, Grandfather and Protector of all that lives. Food arises of itself; the dwellers eat without toil. Thus the gods have ordered that realm of righteousness.

Beyond these, O King, is seen a region named Sāma, star-shaped and adorned with thirty-three mandalas. There dwell four colossal elephants—Vāmana, Airāvata, Supratīka, and another of name unspoken—guardians of the quarters, adored by gods and men.

Their forms are vast beyond measure; their trunks, red as lotus stems, seize the wandering winds and release them anew. From their mighty breaths arise the currents that sustain all life upon the earth.”

“The wind that moves the leaf and flame

Is drawn from those whose trunks reclaim

The breath of worlds, and thus begun

Life’s pulse beneath the circling sun.”

Dhṛtarāṣṭra, still unsated, said:

“O Sanjaya, thou hast told me of the mountains and isles—now speak of the heavenly orbs: of the Sun, the Moon, and the shadow of Rāhu.”

Sanjaya replied:

“The ancient seers have said that Swarbhānu (Rāhu) is a globe twelve thousand yojanas in diameter and forty-two thousand in circumference. The Moon, of cool rays and gentle light, measures eleven thousand yojanas across, and its circumference is thirty-eight thousand nine hundred.

The Sun, beneficent and swift, spans ten thousand yojanas, his golden circle extending thirty-five thousand eight hundred. Because of his vastness, O King, the shadow-planet Rāhu at times veils both Sun and Moon, causing eclipse in due course.

Thus have the learned declared the orbits and measures of the worlds above.”

“Sun of gold and Moon of pearl,

Through boundless heaven ceaseless whirl;

Yet Rāhu’s shade in fated hour,

May dim their light with phantom power.”

Sanjaya ended:

“Thus, O King of men, have I spoken of the construction of the universe as the Śāstras declare. These mysteries are known to the wise and bring peace to the heart that hears them. Therefore, pacify thy son Duryodhana, and turn his mind from greed to dharma.

Whoso listens to this Bhūmi-Parva, O monarch, attains prosperity, length of days, and renown. If a king hears it on the day of full moon or new moon, with vows and purity of heart, his energy and life increase, and his forefathers are gratified in heaven.

Know, then, O Dhṛtarāṣṭra, that all glory abides in Bhārata-varṣa, this land where we dwell—sacred among all the worlds.”

“Thus ends the tale of Earth’s design,

Of sea and star, of law divine;

The blind old king in silence heard,

And bowed before the eternal Word.”