History of Dharmashastra (Ancient and Mediaeval Religious and Civil Law in India) v7.c95.120

v7.c95.120

The Purāṇas devote thousands of verses to cosmography²⁴⁷⁸ i. e. description of the divisions of the earth called dvīpas, varṣas, the mountains, the oceans, the rivers and the countries therein and their extent, the motions of the sun, moon, planets, the yugas, manvantaras, and kalpas²⁴⁷⁹ and Dharmaśāstra works frequently rely on them. Jambudvīpa was known at least before 300 B. C. as Aśoka mentions it in his Rūpanātha Rock Inscription, quoted above on p 1016 n 1649. The word 'dvīpa' occurs in the Ṛgveda I. 169. 3 and VII. 20. 4 (vi *dvīpāni* pāpatan). Pāṇini derives the word from *dvi* and *āpaḥ*. (VI. 3. 97). A bare outline of these from some Purāṇas may be indicated here. The Matsyapurāṇa starts by saying (in chap. 113. 4-5) that there are thousands of dvīpas, but as it is not possible to describe the whole of the world in order it would expound only the seven²⁴⁸⁰ dvīpas.