Now, let me tell you of the regions where mountain-dwellers reside—those who wander the heights, living without easy sustenance, traversing difficult and trackless paths. Among them are people who wear garments of coarse cloth or wool: the Samudgakas, the Trigartas, the Mandalas, and the Kiratas, together with the Amaras. The sages have spoken of four great ages that unfold in the land of Bharata: Krita, Treta, Dvapara, and Kali—the four yugas. I shall describe their nature to you and explain them fully. Upon hearing this, the eager sages turned once more to Lomaharshana, yearning to listen further. “Tell us, as it truly is,” they said, “about the land of Kimpurusha and also Harivarsha, just as you have described Bharata. Tell us, O learned one, the extent of Jambudvipa and the other islands, their inhabitants, and their trees.” Thus questioned, Lomaharshana replied in detail, relating what the seers had witnessed and what was esteemed in the Puranas. “O Brahmins, eager to hear, listen attentively: Jambudvipa and Kimpurusha are exceedingly delightful, comparable to the highest joy. “In Kimpurusha, people live for ten thousand years, and they are born with a radiance like well-refined gold. There, the Plaksha tree is celebrated for its honey, and all the Kimpurushas drink its most excellent sap. Men and women are free from disease and sorrow, always joyful in mind, golden in color, and the women are remembered as apsarases. “Beyond Kimpurusha lies Harivarsha, where people are born with the radiance of great silver. All the inhabitants of Harivarsha have fallen from the world of the gods, possessing many forms, and all drink the auspicious juice of sugarcane. Old age does not afflict them, so they live long; their lifespan is said to be eleven thousand years. “I have also described the central region, named Ilavrita, where the sun does not shine, nor do the people know of it. In Ilavrita, the moon and sun, together with the stars, do not shine; the people have the radiance of lotuses, their bodies are lotus-colored, and their eyes resemble lotus petals. There, all are born with the fragrance of lotuses, they eat the juice of jambū fruits, are motionless, and possess a pleasant scent. All are fallen from the world of the gods, clothed in great silver, and those excellent men live for thirteen thousand years. “The people dwelling in Ilavrita, whether on the southern side of Meru or north of Nishadha, enjoy the same lifespan. There is a great, eternal jambū tree named Sudarshana, always adorned with flowers and fruits, served by siddhas and charanas. By the name of this tree, the island of Jambū is designated; it is vast, a thousand yojanas across, and a hundred times greater in extent. “The king of trees, Sudarshana, rises to the sky, and the juice of its jambū fruit becomes a river that flows forth. Circling Meru, the river returns to the root of the jambū tree, and those in Ilavrita always joyfully drink of it. By drinking this juice, old age does not afflict them; nor do hunger, fatigue, or any such suffering. “There, a gold called jāmbūnada is produced, shining like the indragopa insect—this gold is pure, the ornament of the gods. The auspicious juice of all the region’s trees is like this; and the gold that flows out becomes a divine ornament. “As for their waste, in all eight directions, their urine and feces are absorbed by the earth through the favor of the Lord, and the earth also consumes their dead. All the rakshasas, pisachas, and yakshas are from the Himalayas; on Hemakuta dwell the gandharvas together with groups of apsarases. All the great serpents—Śeṣa, Vāsuki, Takṣaka—reside there; and on mighty Meru, thirty-three auspicious and sacrificial beings sport. “Upon this mountain, adorned with sapphire and cat’s-eye gems, perfected beings and Brahmarṣis reside. Among the Daityas and Dānavas, the white mountain is renowned. Śṛṅgavān, the foremost of mountains, is the path of return for the ancestors. Thus have I described the nine regions of Bhārata. “These regions are inhabited even by spirits, possessing movement and stability; their growth is seen in many forms by gods and humans, impossible to enumerate and worthy of faith for the seeker.” Then, turning to Janārdana, someone spoke: “O Janārdana, I have heard the deeds of Budha’s son, and the sacred rite of Śrāddha, which destroys all sins. I have heard of the merit in giving a cow at the time of her calving, the gift of a black antelope skin, and the release of a bull. “Having heard of the form of the king, Budha’s son, O Keśava, curiosity has arisen in me; tell me of it as I ask. By what action and its result did that king, Purūravas, obtain such a form and also supreme good fortune? Urvaśī, esteemed among the gods and the best of the three worlds, and the enchanting Gandharvas, abandoned all for that king with her whole being. “Hear, then, by what action and its result King Purūravas obtained such a form and also supreme good fortune. In a former birth, that king Purūravas, famed as Purūravas, was the lord of the Madra land. In the lineage of Cākṣuṣa, during the era of Cākṣuṣa Manu, that king was endowed with royal virtues, though he lacked beauty.