O noble one, listen as I recount the wondrous lands described by the ancient sages. Along the banks of the sacred rivers of Bhārata, people dwell in joy and prosperity, drinking the pure waters and living amidst abundance. This land of Bhārata, O great sage, is unique upon the earth: here alone do the four great ages—Kṛta, Tretā, Dvāpara, and Kali—unfold, for nowhere else are these cycles of time found. Within Bhārata, ascetics engage in deep austerities, sacrificers offer their oblations, and gifts are bestowed with reverence, all for the sake of attaining the next world. On Jambūdvīpa, the Purusha of sacrifice is worshipped through sacred rites, and Viṣṇu, who is himself the embodiment of sacrifice, is honored differently on the other islands. Yet even among these, Bhārata shines foremost in Jambūdvīpa, for it is the land of action, while the other regions are lands of enjoyment. Here, after countless births, a being may, through the accumulation of merit, be blessed with a human birth. The gods themselves sing in praise, declaring, “Blessed are those who are born as humans in Bhārata, for this land is the cause and abode of heaven and liberation!” Those who renounce actions and the desires for their fruits, dedicating all to Viṣṇu, the Supreme Self, and who realize the infinite greatness of action, become pure and attain dissolution. It is known and declared that when actions that grant heaven come to an end, the soul attains a new body; truly blessed are those humans in Bhārata who become free from the bondage of the senses. O Brāhmaṇas, Jambūdvīpa, comprising nine great regions, spans a hundred thousand yojanas, and I have described it to you in brief. Encircling Jambūdvīpa, in a perfect circle and equal in measure, lies the ocean of milk. Just as Jambūdvīpa is surrounded by the briny sea, so too, beyond the salt ocean, stands the island of Plakṣa. The expanse of Jambūdvīpa is a hundred thousand yojanas, but Plakṣadvīpa is twice that in size. The lord of Plakṣadvīpa was Medhātithi, whose seven sons became the rulers of its regions. The foremost among them was Śāntabhaya, followed by Śiśira, Sukhodaya, Ānanda, Śiva, Kṣemaka, and Dhruva. Each son ruled over a region named after him: Śāntabhaya in the east, then Śiśira, Sukhada, Ānanda, Śiva, Kṣemaka, and Dhruva. These lands are divided and marked by seven mighty mountains: Gomeda, Candra, Nārada, Dandubhi, Somaka, Sumanā, and Vaibhrāja. Within these delightful regions, sinless people dwell together with gods and gandharvas, living in harmony with their kin. In these blessed lands, the people are heroic and immortal; there is no sorrow or disease, and happiness reigns unbroken. Seven sacred rivers flow through these regions to the sea: Anutaptā, Śikhā, Viprāśā, Tridivā, Kramu, Amṛtā, and Sukṛtā. Their very names, when heard, are said to remove sin. Besides these, there are thousands of lesser rivers and mountains. The people drink joyfully from these rivers, for all the rivers flow down from the mountains and none rise anew. There is no division of ages in these seven regions; time is ever equal to the Tretā Yuga. In Plakṣadvīpa and in the lands beyond, such as Śākadvīpa, people live for five thousand years, free from illness. There, dharma is fourfold, arising from the division of classes and stages of life: the Āryakas (Brāhmaṇas), Kurus (Kṣatriyas), Viviśvas (Vaiśyas), and Bhāvinas (Śūdras). At the center of Plakṣadvīpa grows a great Plakṣa tree, equal in size to the Jambū tree, from which the island takes its name. The Lord is worshipped there by all classes, beginning with the Āryakas; Hari, the creator and sustainer of all, appears in the form of Soma. Encircling Plakṣadvīpa, in equal measure, is an ocean of sugarcane juice, surrounding the island in its sweetness. Thus, O sages, Plakṣadvīpa has been described. Now, hear of Śālmalī Island. The lord of Śālmalī is Vīra, radiant among men. He has seven sons: Śveta, Harita, Jīmūta, Rohita, Vaidyuta, Mānasa, and Suprabha, each ruling a region named after him. The ocean surrounding Śālmalī is also filled with sugarcane juice, and is twice the breadth of the island itself. There, too, are seven mountains, famed as sources of jewels, each marking the boundary of a region: Kumuda, Unnata, Balāhaka, Droṇa (where great medicinal herbs grow), Kaṅka, Mahiṣa, and Kakudmat, the best of mountains. Seven rivers flow through these regions, bringing relief from sin: Śroṇī, Toyā, Vitṛṣṇā, Candrā, Śukrā, Vimocanī, and Nivṛtti. Thus, the regions of Śālmalī are Śveta, Lohita, Jīmūta, Harita, Vaidyuta, Mānasa, and Suprabha, each blessed and prosperous. In this way, O noble ones, the lands and their glories, the mountains and rivers, and the peoples who dwell there in happiness and harmony, have been revealed by the wisdom of the ancients.