Book 5: Chapter 16
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Srimad Bhagvata Mahapurana: Book 5: Chapter 16: Verses 26-29
Like filaments surrounding the pericarp (of a lotus), there are twenty mountains-Kuranga, Kurara, Kusumbha, Vaikanka, Trikuta, Sisira, Patanga, Rucaka, Nisadha, Sinivasa, Kapila, Sankha, Vaidurya, Jarudhi, Hamsa, Rsabha, Naga, Kalanjara, Narada and so on-situated round about Meru near its foot. (Again,) to the east of Meru stand the Jathara and Devakuta mountains, extending north to south to a length of eighteen thousand Yojanas (1,44,000 miles) and possessing a hight and width of two thousand Yojanas (16,000 miles). Similarly to the west (of the same mountain) are situated the Pavana and Pariyatra; to the south (of Meru) stand the Kailasa and Karavira extending east to west-and to the north are situated the Trisrnga and Makara. Enclosed on all sides by these eight mountains, Mount Sumeru (the mountain of gold) shines as a sacred fire surrounded by blades of Kusa grass (marking its boundaries as it were). On the summit of Mount Meru, at the very centre, they say, is situated the city of Brahma (the self-born), built (entirely) of gold, with an area of fourteen[1] thousand Yojanas (1,12,000 square miles) and rectangular in shape. After this model and round above the same have been built the eight cities of the eight Lokapalas (guardians of the spheres--Indra and others) in a style befitting their master and in the direction allotted to him, each city being one-fourth (in extent) of Brahma's city. Thus ends the sixteenth discourse entitled "A description of the terrestrial
world" in Book Five of the great and glorious Bhagavata-Purana, otherwise known as the Paramahamsa-Samhita. |
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References
- ↑ The compound epithet could be taken on the face of it to mean 'covering an area of a thousand times ten thousand i.e., one crore square Yojanas or eight crore square miles', as almost every renowned commentator of Srimad Bhagavata has done. Considering the extent of Mount Meru, which is mentioned in passage 7 above as only 32,000 Yojanas wide, however, this figure strikes us as enormous. Hence, following a learned commentator, we have split the compound as tomean 'covering an area of four thousand square miles'-- Thus interpreted, the comppund will mean having an area of ten plus four, i.e., fourteen thousand square Yojanas, which exactly tallies with the figure given in the Visnupurana. In that we come across the following description of the city of brahma on the summit of mount Meru:-
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