A Prose English Translation of Vishnupuranam / (Based on Professor H. H. Wilson's translation.)

by Unknown

Jambudwipa is situated in the centre of all these and in the centre of that island is situate the golden mount Meru, which is eighty-four thousand yojanas in height and sixteen thousand deep into the earth. The diameter, at its top, is thirty-two thousand yojanas and at the base sixteen thousand. And this mountain is like the seed-cup of the lotus of the earth.

On the south Sumeru are the mountains Himavat, Hemakuta and Nishadha and on its north are the boundary mountains Neela, Sweta and Sringhee. The two mountain ranges situate in the centre are a hundred thousand yojanas in extent. And others are ten thousand yojanas lesser in extent. They are two thousand yojanas in height and breadth.

O twice-born one, the first country on the south of Sumeru is Bhārata, then Kimpurusha and then Harivarsha. North of Meru is Ramyaka, next to that is Hiranmaya and beyond the latter is Uttarakuru following the same direction as Bhirata. And each of these Varshas, O foremost of the twice-born ones, is extended over a nine thousand yojanas. Ilābrita is also of the same size and the golden mount Meru is situate in the centre, and the country extends nine thousand yojanas in each direction from the four sides of the mountain. For fortifying the mount Meru four mountains were created as buttresses, each ten thousand yojanas in elevation. The one situate on the east is called Mandara, the one on the south is called Gandhamādana, that on the west is called Vipula and that on the south Suparswa. And on each of these stands severally a Kadamba tree, a Jāmbu tree, a Pipal and a Vata. And all these trees were eleven thousand yojanas in height, standing as if like the banners of the mountains. O great Muni, because a Jāmbu-tree stands on that mountain that insular continent is called Jāmbu-dwipa. And that tree produces Jāmbu-fruits like so many huge elephants. And those huge fruits are crushed into pieces as soon as they fall on the mountain. And out of the juice of those fruits has come out the river Jāmbu. And the inhabitants, who drink the water of that river, do not experience perspiration, bad smell and are not subject to infirmities of age and organic decay. The soil, on the banks of that river, receiving the juice of these fruits and dried up by pleasant breeze, is turned into gold called Jāmbunada out of which the ornament of the Siddhas are made. Vadraswa is situate on the east of Meru and Ketumdlā on the west. And in the middle of these two Varshas, O foremost of Munis, is situate Ilābrita, oh the east is the Chaitrarath forest on the south Gandhamādana, on the west Baibhraju and on the north the forest called Nandana. On the four sides of Meru there are four tanks the water of which is partaken of by the celestials namely Atunoda, Mahabhadra, Sitoda and Manasa. There are some mountain ranges like the filaments from the root of a lotus on the coast of Meru—namely Sitānta Mukunda, Kurāri, Mālayavān and Vaikanta.

And on the south Trikuta, Sisirā, Patanga, Ruchaka and Nishadha, on the west Sikhivasasi Vaidurya, Kapila, Gandhamidana and Jārudho, and on the north Sankhakuta, Rishabha, Nāga, Hansa and Kālanjara. These and others extend from the heart of the Meru.

On the top of mount Meru, O Maitreya, there is a vast city, named after Brahmā, extending for fourteen thousand yojanas, and celebrated in the region of the celestials. And around it in the various quarters and intermediate quarters are situate the magnificent cities of Indra and other deities presiding over various quarters. Originating from the foot of Vishnu, and watering the region of the moon, the Ganges falls from the heaven into the city of Brahmā. Falling there she has divided herself into four branches namely Sitā, Alakakandā, Chakshu and Vadrā. Taking her course towards the east and going from one mountain to another, in the welkin Sitā, watering Vadrawshwa has fallen into the ocean. The Alakakandā flows southwards to the country of Bhārata and dividing herself into seven branches on the way, falls into the ocean, O great Muni. And Chakshu crossing over all the western mountains and passing through the country of Ketumāla falls into the ocean. And Vadrā, traversing the northern mountains and passing through the country of Uttarakuru, falls into the northern ocean, O great Muni.

Meru is thus situated between the mountains Nila and Nishada (on the north and south) and between Mālyavān and Gandhamādana (on the west and east) and it lies there like the peri-carp of a lotus. And the countries of Bhārata, Ketumāla, Vadrāshwa and Kuru, lying outside the mountains, are like petals of the lotus of the world. Jathara and Devakuta are two mountainous ranges extending northward and southward and connecting the mountain Nila and Nishada. The two mountains Gandhamādana and Kailāsha extend towards the east and west for eighty yojanas from sea to sea. Like the two mountains on the east the two ranges Nishahad and Paripātra are situated on the western side of Meru. The two mountains Trisringa and Jārudhi are situated on the north of Meru and they extend east and west from one sea to another. Thus I have described to you the eight mountains, mentioned by the ascetics as bounding the mount Meru, and situate in pairs on four sides. Sitānta and others which have been described to you as filament mountains are extremely charming. The vallies situate in the bosom of those mountains are frequented by Siddhas and Charanas and there are many picturesque cities and forests, containing the palaces of Vishnu, Lakshmi, Agni, Surya and other deities and inhabited by the celestials. And in those pleasant vales Gandharvas, Yakshas, Rākshasas, Daityas and Dānavas sport day and night. These are the abodes of the pious, O Muni and are called the regions of paradise on earth where the vicious, even after a hundred births, do not arrive.

In the country of Vadraswa, O twice-born one, Vishnu resides in his horse-headed form, in Ketumala as the boar and in Bhārata as the tortoise. And in Kuru Janārddana resides as the fish and Hari, the lord of all and everything, resides everywhere in his universal form. And, O Maitreya, he, the soul of the world, is the supporter of all things.

O great Muni, in the eight countries of Kimpurusha and others there is neither grief, exhaustion, anxiety nor hunger. All the subjects are healthy devoid of any fear, freed from all afflictions and live for ten or twelve thousand years. Indra does not send rain there and people live upon the water of the earth and there is no distinction of Satya, Treta and other successive cycles. In each of these countries there are seven principal mountainous ranges from which hundreds of river take their rise, O foremost of twice-born ones.

SECTION III.

Parāçara said:—The country that is situate on the ocean and south of the Himālya is called Bhārata where reside the descendants of Bharata. The extent of this land is nine thousand yojanas, and is the field of action, on account of which men go to heaven or obtain final emancipation. The seven principal mountain ranges in Bhārata are Māhendra, Malaya, Sahya, Suktimat, Riksha, Vindhya and Pāripātra. From this land people attain to heaven or final emancipation or some hence, O Muni, fall into hell or pass into the condition of brutes. From here people obtain heaven, liberation, or the state in mid-air, or the state in the regions under the earth for no other portion of world is the arena of actions.