On the renowned Śāka island, there stand seven magnificent mountains, each with their own glory and presence. Listen, O best of sages, to their names: Udaya, Raivata, and Śyāmaka are foremost among them. There is also the splendid Rājata mountain, radiant and beautiful, which belongs to Ambikā. Beyond the region of Ambikeya rises another delightful mountain, filled with all manner of healing herbs. There is the mountain known as Kesarī, from which the wind is said to arise. And on Puṣkara, the single, great mountain of stone stands resplendent, its peaks glittering with jewels and crowned by lofty masses of rock. This wondrous summit dominates the eastern half of the island, rising upwards for fifty thousand yojanas and descending to a depth of thirty-four thousand yojanas. Encircling half of the island is the luminous mountain Mānasottara, situated near the shore and shining like the crescent moon at dawn. Mānasottara, too, rises fifty thousand yojanas high, and is equally broad and perfectly round on its sides. On the western half of the island stands Mānasa, the earth-bearing mountain, alone and majestic. This great peak is uniquely divided into two by its own formation. Upon this sacred island are remembered two auspicious and holy regions, Rājata and Mānasya, which lie around the mountains. Outside of Mānasa stretches the region called Mahāvīta, while the inner area is known as Dhātakīkhaṇḍa. The lotus-shaped continent itself is surrounded on all sides by an ocean of sweet water and curds, as vast as the continent of Puṣkara. In both extent and circumference, Puṣkara matches it. In this way, each of the seven continents is encircled by its own ocean, and the sequence of continents and oceans unfolds, one after another, with the seventh ocean following each continent. Beyond Puṣkara lies the great ocean of sweet water, which encircles all things. Further still, a vast golden land is seen, twice as large as what came before and resembling a single, solid slab of stone; it is upon this foundation that the worlds are established. Beyond this golden land stands a boundary mountain, marking the edge of the cosmic circle. This mountain, both luminous and non-luminous, is called Lokāloka. As far as the visible and invisible reaches of this mountain extend, so far does the earth itself reach, O twice-born. The Lokāloka mountain is said to be ten thousand yojanas high, and of equal breadth. In its nearer half, the rays of the sun travel, but in the farther half, there is perpetual darkness—hence its name, Lokāloka, the world and non-world. Thus, the extent of the earth-world has been briefly described. From the sun’s domain down to the regions of earth and heaven, up to the pole star, are established the seven rims of the wind, beginning with Āvaha. These are: Āvaha, Pravaha, Anuvaha, Saṃvaha, Vivaha, and, above all, Parāvaha. Parivaha is the seventh. These seven rims of the wind support the cosmos, along with the clouds, the sun, the moon, and all the hosts of stars. The planets, the seven sages, and the pole star, O brāhmaṇas, are all arranged in their proper places, from fifteen yojanas above the surface of the earth up to the pole star. From the earth’s surface to the sphere of the sun is a hundred thousand yojanas; above that, the chariot of the sun is sixteen thousand yojanas higher. Above the earth, Mount Meru rises eighty-four thousand yojanas into the sky. Stretching ten million yojanas from the pole star is Maharloka, the world above the pole star. From Maharloka to Janaloka is another two crores of yojanas, and from Janaloka to Tapoloka is four crores. From the world of Prajāpati to Brahmaloka is said to be six crores in extent. Thus, within this cosmic egg, these seven virtuous worlds have been described, O twice-born. Below, there are seven netherworlds and countless hells, numbering in crores, with twenty-eight dreadful ones ending with Māyā. Here, the sinful are tormented according to their own deeds, and all the hells, such as Avīci and Raurava, are found among them. It is said that each netherworld has five particular hells. At the beginning of creation, the coverings of the cosmic egg were also described. The creation of Hiraṇyagarbha, the golden embryo, is vast indeed, consisting of countless crores of such eggs, numbering in the thousands. Primordial matter pervades everywhere—across, above, and below—and within all these cosmic eggs exist the fourteen worlds. For each egg, O best of twice-born, the cause is Maheśvara, who pervades within, without, and in all the coverings. At the end of darkness and beyond, the Eight-formed One is established—this is the self of Maheśa, the wise Mahādeva. Indeed, the bodiless one is the entire body of the Supreme Self—of this Eight-formed Śarva, Śiva, the householder. The divine Prakṛti is his wife; his progeny are the Mahat and other principles; all those who identify with the body are like his cattle and servants. The Blessed One is without beginning or end, infinite. The seven principles, headed by Pradhāna, the form of Pradhāna, the sixteen-limbed Maheśvara, and the Eight-bodied One—all are but him alone. By his command, the earth stands firm, as do the mountains, clouds, oceans, all the luminaries, the gods led by Śakra, the celestial beings, and everything that is stationary or moves. Once, seeing a Yakṣa who had no distinguishing marks, and beholding the Lord with Indra, the gods wondered in amazement, “What is this?” Approaching the Yakṣa, the fire and others, their powers exhausted, found themselves even more powerless. The fire could not burn even a blade of grass before that Yakṣa, O Brāhmaṇas, nor could the wind move the grass, nor could any of the gods led by Indra exert their own powers. Thus is the vastness and mystery of the cosmos, and the supreme power of the Lord, revealed.