In the age of Bhārata, wondrous couples came into being, their women radiant as apsarases. Each pair, born together in a single day, grew side by side—alike in form and character, sharing the same joys and destinies. Their devotion to one another was unwavering, reminiscent of the chakravāka birds who never part from their mates. Free from illness and sorrow, their hearts remained ever joyful, and their lives spanned a magnificent ten thousand and ten hundred years. In their world, no other woman entered the bond between each pair, for such was the nature of their time as witnessed by those who understood the highest dharma. When the sages heard of this wondrous era, they listened with awe to the wise son of Sūta. Yet, their curiosity was not sated. In the northern recitation, they pressed the son of Sūta for more knowledge. “O virtuous one,” they asked, “tell us again of this land of Bhārata, where the fourteen Manus, beginning with Svāyambhuva, established the generations of beings. We wish to know more—recount to us the northern tradition, O best of speakers.” Thus, Lomaharṣaṇa, the learned Purāṇika, contemplated their request deeply. After much thoughtful reflection, he shared the northern recitation with the sages of purified soul. He began: “I shall now describe the peoples of this sacred land of Bhārata. Manu is called Bharata because, through bearing and begetting, he gave rise to its peoples. By its very meaning, this land is known as Bhārata, for here, heaven, liberation, and even the intermediate state are realized. Nowhere else on earth is the rite of action prescribed for mortals as it is here. Listen, then, to the nine divisions of Bhārata’s land: Indradvīpa, Kaśeru, Tāmraparṇa, Gabhastimān, Nāgadvīpa, Saumya, Gandharva, and Vāruṇa. The ninth is this island itself, encircled by the ocean, stretching a thousand yojanas from south to north. This island extends from Kumārī in the south to the source of the Gaṅgā in the north, and its width from side to side is ten thousand. Along its borders dwell foreigners: Yavanas and Kiratas at the eastern and western ends. In the heart of the land, Brahmins, Kshatriyas, and Vaishyas are settled, while Shudras reside in portions, all engaged in worship, trade, and various occupations. Each follows their path according to dharma, prosperity, and desire, upholding their duties faithfully. Here, the fivefold order of life-stages is observed as prescribed, and all human activity is oriented toward heaven and liberation. This land, called Tiryagyama, is the human island: whoever conquers it in its entirety is known as a universal emperor. Such a world is the realm of the universal emperor, while those who master the intermediate space are remembered as conquerors of the sky. The realm of the self-ruler will be described further in detail. Within this great land rise seven celebrated family mountains: Mahendra, Malaya, Sahya, Shuktiman, Rikshavan, Vindhya, and Pariyatra. Around them are thousands of other mountains—some widely renowned, others vast with varied peaks, and many smaller ones supporting modest settlements. Among these mountains, the peoples of the land are intermingled—Aryas and foreigners alike—and countless rivers flow in abundance. The sacred rivers of Bhārata are many: Gaṅgā, Sindhu, Sarasvatī, Shatadru, Chandrabhāga, Yamunā, Sarayū, Airāvatī, Vitastā, Vishālā, Devikā, and Kūhu; Gomati, Dhautapāpā, Bahudā, Drishadvatī, Kaushikī, and the steadfast Gandakī. Ikshur and Lauhita spring from the Himalayas, as do Vedasmṛti, Vetravatī, Vṛtraghni, Sindhura, Pārṇāsha, Narmadā, and the great Kāverī. Para, Dhanvatī, Viduṣā, Venumatī, Shiprā, Avantī, and Kuntī are rivers remembered in connection with Pariyatra. Other rivers—Shona, Mahānada, Nandana, Sukrisha, Kṣhamā, Mandākinī, Dashārṇa, Chitrakūta, Tamasa, Pippalī, Shyeni, and Chitrotpalā—flow with purity. From Rishyamukha arise Vimala, Chañchalā, Dhutavāhinī, Shuktimantī, Shunī, Lajjā, Mukuta, and Hradikā—each auspicious and pure. Tapi, Payoshni, Nirvindhya, Kshiprā, Rishabha, Vena, Vaitaraṇī, Vishvamālā, and Kumudvatī are among the rivers springing from the foot of Vindhya, their waters cool and sacred. In the south, the Godāvarī, Bhīmarathī, Kṛṣṇaveṇī, Vañjulā, Tuṅgabhadrā, Suprayogā, Vāhyā, and Kāverī flow from the slopes of the Sahya mountains. Kṛtamālā, Tāmraparṇī, Puṣpajā, and Utpalāvatī are pure rivers of the Malaya mountains, their waters cool and auspicious. Tribāgā, Ṛṣikulyā, Ikṣudā, Tridivācalā, Tāmraparṇī, Mūlī, Śaravā, Vimalā, and the daughters of Mahendra are renowned for their holy flow. Kāśikā, Sukumārī, Mandagā, Mandavāhinī, Kṛpā, and Pāśinī are daughters of Śuktimanta, each sacred and life-giving. All these rivers are pure, auspicious, and flow everywhere, ultimately reaching the ocean. They are the mothers of the world, destroyers of sin, and their tributaries and streams number in the hundreds and thousands. Along their banks dwell the Kurus, Pāñcālas, Śālvas, and the people of the Jāṅgala region—each thriving in the sacred embrace of Bhārata’s blessed land.