The Doctrine of the Jainas, Described after the Old Sources c9.68

c9.68

§114. The world mountains—JACOBI calls them by the appropriate term of "banks" (on T. 3, 11)—have 100, 200 and 400 joy. in height measured in pairs towards Mahāvideha, and they show 11, 8 and 9 summits (kūḍa).¹ These summits rising to an individual height of 500 joy. sit upon the mountains. In the centre of these mountains we find the longish lakes (maha-ddaha) from which the large rivers spring (Thāṇ. 72b). From those of the Cullahimavanta and Sihari there flow three each, i.e. into Bharaha eastward the Gaṅgā, westward the Sindhu, northward into Hemavaya the Rohiyaṃsā; into Eravaya eastward the Rattā, westward the Rattāvai, southward into Hiraṇṇavaya the Suvaṇṇakūlā. From the remaining lakes spring two rivers each to flow southward and northward. Thus from the Mahāhimavanta there come the Rohiya in Hiraṇṇavaya and the Harikantā in Harivāsa from the Nisaha ibd. the Hari and the Sioyā in Mahāvideha. They correspond to the Ruppakūlā in Hiraṇṇavaya flowing northward and the Narakantā in Rammaga flowing southward from the Ruppi, as do the Nārīkantā and the Siyā in Mahāvideha flowing from the Nilavanta ibd. These rivers start by flowing on top of the mountains in the above mentioned directions to leave it in a leap (called *jibbhiyā* for its tongue-like shape). At their foot they cross a lake (*pavāya-kuṇḍa*, *p.-daha* or *salila-kuṇḍa*) and turn off into their definite direction before the uplands (soon to be mentioned) in order to fall into the Lavaṇa Sea either to the east or to the west. Those mountains lying in this course are crossed by flowing beneath them. The medium continents are divided by the rivers into two equal halves. All rivers of the continents that start by flowing to the south end up in the east, all others end up in the west. A chord standing perpendicularly on them and its ends coinciding with those of the Nisaha and Nilavanta forms the boundary of an arc 2,923 *joy.* wide which is filled by the "estuary forest" of these rivers (*muha-vaṇa*).