Skandapurana 1.4.35: adhyāyaḥ 37

Glorious Nārada said: / Now I shall tell you, O Arjuna, the māhātmya of Barbarītīrtha, / [and] how Barbarikā, the king's daughter [ruling] Śataśṛṅga, was born, 37.1

renowned as Kumārikā. By her name, / this Kaumārikākhaṇḍa is proclaimed, which bestows the fruit of the four goals of life; 37.2

by whom was made the division of various villages and the like on the earth, / and by whom this Bhāratakhaṇḍa was properly arranged. 37.3

Dhanañjaya said: / This is a great wonder of mine, supreme to be heard, O sage! / Tell me in full detail the entire life of Kumārī: 37.4

How was this universe born, arranged by actions and classes? / Or how [was] the Bhārata section [divided]? Such is ever my desire to hear. 37.5

Nārada said: / In this unmanifest [state], devoid of light, both the Pradhāna and the Puruṣa, / unborn, came together as one; [this] only do we hear. 37.6

Then, impelled by innate nature and time, through their own natures, / the principle of Mahat was born merely by the glance upon Prakṛti. 37.7

From the modifying principle of Mahat, the principle of Ahaṃkāra was born. / That is declared threefold by sages: sāttvika, rājasa, and tāmasa. 37.8

From the tāmasa, the five subtle elements were born, as the wise know; / and from the subtle elements, the gross elements, the five specific [principles] that arose from them. 37.9

And from the sāttvika Ahaṃkāra, know the organs of action and [sense], / and the mind as the eleventh; and they know the rājasa to belong to both. 37.10

The wise know that twenty-four principles were thus born in ancient times. / They were indeed beheld by the person Sadāśiva, O descendant of Bharata. 37.11

They assumed the shape of a bubble; then the auspicious egg was born. / And this cosmic egg of Brahmā is said to measure one hundred million [yojanas]. 37.12

Brahmā is declared its self; he divided this into three: / the gods reside in the upper realm, and humans in the middle, 37.13

and the Nāgas and Daityas in Pātāla—thus it was designed threefold. / Then, each one becoming sevenfold, was arranged by him: 37.14

seven subterranean realms, seven continents, and seven celestial worlds. / I will tell of the seven continents; hear their arrangement. 37.15

Jambūdvīpa is proclaimed to have an extent of one hundred thousand yojanas, / resembling the disc of the sun in shape, surrounded by a salt ocean of the same extent. 37.16

Beyond that is Śākadvīpa, twice the size of Jambūdvīpa, / encircled by an ocean of milk-water of equal size. 37.17

[Encircled] by an ocean of wine-water that causes delusion to the Daityas, / next is Puṣkaradvīpa, twice [that size], surrounded by [an ocean] of equal measure. 37.18

Beyond that, Kuśadvīpa is known to be twice [its size], / surrounded all around by an ocean of curd-water of equal size. 37.19

Beyond that is the one named Krauñca, twice [that size], by an ocean of clarified butter; / next is Śālmalidvīpa, twice [that size], likewise by [an ocean] of equal measure, 37.20

surrounded by an ocean consisting of sugarcane juice. / Around it is Gomeda, twice [that size], surrounded by [an ocean] of equal measure, 37.21

all around by a delightful ocean of sweet water. / Thus, O son of Pṛthā, twenty-three million, / 37.22

and fifty thousand [yojanas] are the seven continents together with the oceans. / Five hundred and ten aṅgulas 37.23

is the increase and decrease of water observed during the bright and dark fortnights. / Beyond that is the golden land of one hundred million [yojanas], O bearer of the Kuru line, 37.24

the playground of the gods; beyond that is Lokāloka, / a mountain ring-shaped, extending for ten thousand yojanas. 37.25

Outside of this is dreadful darkness, difficult to gaze upon, devoid of life, / recorded as three hundred and fifty million, nineteen hundred thousand, 37.26

and forty thousand yojanas, O Phālguna. / Immediately after that is the Garbhodaka [ocean], having the measure of the seven oceans; 37.27

the cosmic shell, ten million yojanas in extent, is established. / The egg of Brahmā, joined with the cosmic shell from the center of Meru, 37.28

is to be known as five hundred million [yojanas] all around in the ten directions. / In the middle of Jambudvīpa, however, is the mountain named Meru. 37.29

It is to be known as measuring one hundred thousand yojanas below and above: / it stands sixteen thousand yojanas below, 37.30

its height is eighty-four [thousand], and it is thirty-two [thousand] wide at the summit; / furnished with three peaks, its summit has the shape of a saucer. 37.31

On the central peak is the abode of Brahmā; on the north-east, of Tryambaka; / on the south-west, of Vāsudeva; and the peak of Brahmā is of gold, 37.32

that of Śaṃkara is of gems, and that of Keśava is of silver. / In the four directions of Meru, the supporting mountains are recorded: 37.33

to the east, Mandara by name; to the south, Gandhamādana; / Vipula is to be known to the west, and Supārśva to the north. 37.34

The kadamba is to be known on Mandara, the rose-apple tree indeed on Gandhamādana, / the peepal tree on Vipula, and the banyan tree is regarded as on Supārśva. 37.35

There are four flagstaff-like trees on the mountains, eleven hundred [yojanas] in length. / There are four forests on their glorious peaks: 37.36

to the east, the one named Caitraratha; to the south, Gandhamādana; / Vaibhrāja is to be known to the west, and Citraratha forest to the north. 37.37

And learn from me the four lakes in the four directions: / in the east is the lake named Aruṇoda, and Mānasa lake in the south; 37.38

in the west, the one named Śītodaka; and in the north, Mahāhrada. / Indeed, these supporting mountains are twenty-five 37.39

thousand yojanas in height, and one thousand in thickness, so it is handed down. / And there are many other filament-mountains there. 37.40

And to the south of Meru are three boundary mountains: / Niṣadha, Hemakūṭa, and Himavān—these three, 37.41

one hundred thousand yojanas long and two thousand broad. / And three to the north of Meru: Nīla, Śveta, and Śṛṅgavān. 37.42

Mālyavān is to the east of Meru, and likewise the one named Gandhamādana is to the west. / Thus these mountains all around Jambudvīpa have been declared. 37.43

From the rose-apple fruits that grow on Gandhamādana, which are the size of great elephants, / it is known by that name as Jambudvīpa. 37.44

There was a first progenitor named Svāyambhuva Manu. / There was a woman, Śatarūpā; the progenitor took her in marriage. / Priyavrata and Uttānapāda were both her sons. 37.45

And Dhruva, the supreme observer of dharma, was Uttānapāda's son. / Having worshipped Viṣṇu with devotion, he attained an imperishable place. 37.46

Ten sons were born to the royal sage Priyavrata. / Three among them renounced the world and took refuge in the supreme Brahman. 37.47

Seven sons were installed by him across the seven continents. / The eldest, known as Āgnīdhra, was the ruler of Jambudvīpa. 37.48

He had nine sons, O son of Pṛthā, traditionally known as rulers of nine realms. / Even today, those realms remain marked with their names. 37.49

Each one is said to measure nine thousand yojanas. / The fourteenth section of Meru lies between the two, Gandhamādana and Mālyavān; 37.50

situated on the golden land between them, it is here called Ilāvṛta. / The land extending from Mālyavān to the ocean is called Bhadrāśva. 37.51

The land extending from Gandhamādana to the ocean is known as Ketumāla. 37.52

The region between Śṛṅgavān and the ocean is known as the Kuru realm. / Between Śṛṅgavān and Śveta, the realm is said to be Hiraṇmaya. 37.53

Between beautiful Nīla and Śveta, they call the realm Ramyaka. / Between Niṣadha and Hemakūṭa lies the Harikhaṇḍa realm. 37.54

Between the snowy mountain and Hemakūṭa, the realm is known as Kiṃpuruṣa. / Between the snowy mountain and the ocean, the realm is known as Nābhi. 37.55

The realm of Nābhi and Kuru are two realms shaped like bows; / the snowy mountain and Mount Śṛṅgavān are declared to stand in the place of bowstrings. 37.56

The son of Nābhi was Ṛṣabha, and from Ṛṣabha came Bharata. / By his name, this realm is celebrated as Bhārata. 37.57

Here [alone] is the acquisition of dharma, wealth, pleasure, and liberation; / elsewhere, everywhere [is a] land of enjoyment, O delight of the Kurus. 37.58

In Śākadvīpa there is a teak tree measuring a thousand yojanas. / By its name, that realm is known as Śākadvīpa. 37.59

And its ruler was a son of Priyavrata named Medhātithi. 37.60

His seven realms bear the names of his sons: Purojava, Manojava, Vepamāna, Dhūmrānīka, Citrarepha, Bahurūpa, and Viśvacāra. 37.61

In Śākadvīpa, the [classes] of the realm named Ṛtavrata, Satyavrata, and Anuvrata chant [the praise of] the blessed Lord in the form of wind: 37.62

"May the inner controller, the Lord himself, protect us, who, entering into beings and dividing them with his own marks, holds the universe under his sway." 37.63

Thus ends the prayer. / In Kuśadvīpa there is a clump of kuśa grass measuring a thousand yojanas. / Because it is marked by that sign, it is therefore known as Kuśadvīpa. 37.64

The lord of that continent is Hiraṇyaroman, a son of Priyavrata. Its seven realms are marked by the names of his sons: Vasu, Vasudāna, Dṛḍhakavi, Nābhigupta, Satyavrata, and Vāmadeva. / And the classes, named Kuliśa, Kovida, Abhiyukta, and Kulaka, praise the blessed Jātavedas: 37.65

"Thou art the bearer of oblations, the manifest Jātavedas of the supreme Brahman. / Worship the Puruṣa through sacrifice on behalf of the gods, who are limbs of the Puruṣa." 37.66

Thus ends the praise. / In Krauñcadvīpa there is a mountain named Krauñca, a yojana in extent, / which was pierced by Guha; by that sign it is Krauñcadvīpa. 37.67

And there the son of Priyavrata named Ghṛtapṛṣṭha [rules]; its seven realms are marked with the names of his seven sons: Madhuruha, Meghapṛṣṭha, Svadāman, Ṛtāśva, Lohitārṇava, and Vanaspati. 37.68

And the classes are named Guru, Ṛṣabha, Draviṇa, and Devaka. 37.69

They praise the blessed Lord whose form is water: 37.70

"Waters, which are the seed of the Puruṣa, purifying earth, atmosphere, and heaven, / destroying illness, may they again touch the earth along with the self." 37.71

Thus ends the prayer. / A śālmali tree stands there, a thousand yojanas in height; by that sign it is called Śālmalidvīpa. 37.72

Its ruler is Yajñabāhu, a son of Priyavrata; its seven realms bear the names of his sons: Surocana, Saumanasya, Ramaṇaka, Devabarhis, Pāribhadra, Āpyāyana, and Abhijñāna. 37.73

And the classes, named Śrutadhara, Vīrya, Vasundhara, and Iṣandhara, worship the blessed Soma: 37.74

"Distributing the bright and dark fortnights from his own source to the ancestors and gods, / below, may Soma be the king of all our subjects." 37.75

Thus ends the prayer. There is a very charming plakṣa tree named Gomeda, under whose shade / joy increased; by reason of eagerness, the continent is called Gomeda. 37.76

There, the son of Priyavrata named Idhmajihva is the lord; its seven realms are marked with the names of his sons: Śiva, Suramya, Subhadra, Śānti, Aśama, Ṛta, and Abhaya. 37.77

And the four classes, named Haṃsa, Pataṅga, Ūrdhvāñcana, and Satyāṅga, worship the blessed Sūrya: 37.78

"May we meditate upon Sūrya, the self, the form of Viṣṇu of the ancient [one], arisen there from Brahman, of immortality and death." 37.79

Thus ends the prayer. / A lotus with golden petals, radiant, measuring a million and a thousand yojanas, / shines like a flame; by that sign the continent is Puṣkara. 37.80

Its ruler is a son of Priyavrata named Vītahotra; his two sons are Ramaṇaka and Ghātaka. 37.81

The two sections are marked with their names. 37.82

Between them is a ring-shaped mountain named Mānasācala, upon which the blessed sun revolves. 37.83

There are no classes there; being all equal, they meditate upon Brahman alone: 37.84

"Whatever linga consists of ritual action, while people worship the Brahman-liṅga, / being essentially one non-dual [reality] amid distinction—homage to that blessed Lord." 37.85

Thus ends the prayer. / In these [continents] there is neither anger nor malice through the acquisition of merit and sin; / and the lifespan is proclaimed to double progressively from ten thousand [years]. 37.86

Chanting, accompanied by loving women, they sport like the immortals.
Now I will describe to you the arrangement of the upper world.

Thus ends the thirty-seventh chapter, entitled 'Description of the Situation of the Earth,' in the Kumārikākhaṇḍa of the first section, the Māheśvarakhaṇḍa, in the glorious Skanda Mahāpurāṇa of eighty-one thousand verses.