Cosmography and Geography in Early Indian Literature c6.s2.33

c6.s2.33

In this connection, a few words more may be said about the Buddhist conception of heaven associated with Mount Meru, which is more or less in a line with the corresponding Brahmanical ideas in the epics and the Purāṇas, although the latter exhibit a good deal of confusion. The Buddhists conceived of 6 worlds of the gods, viz. Cāturmahārājika, Trayastriṃśa, Yāma, Tuṣita, Nirmāṇarati and Puranirmita-vartin. The lowest of these is the Cāturmahārājika where live the guardians of the four quarters, viz. Dhṛtarāṣṭra of the east, Virūḍhaka of the south, Virūpākṣa of the west and Vaiśravaṇa of the north²⁹ as well as the Devaputras Candramas and Sūrya. The four guardians are leaders respectively of the Gandharvas, Kumbhāṇḍas, Nāgas and Yakṣas. In order to see if men cultivate righteousness and virtue, they send to the world, in the bright half of the month, their councillors on the 8th and their sons on the 14th while they themselves come down on the 15th. They report to the gods of Trayastriṃśa, the second world of the gods on the top of the Sumeru (Sineru or Sudarśana), and the gods thereof rejoice or lament according as men prosper in righteousness or not.