In those blessed realms, there is no turning away from happiness, for such is the natural state of their inhabitants. Health flourishes abundantly, joy is ever-present, and the minds of all reach the highest perfection. Across the three great continents, happiness, long life, and beauty are found everywhere; there are no distinctions of superiority or inferiority among the people, for all are equal in strength and appearance. In these lands, no one kills nor is killed. Envy and jealousy do not arise, nor is there fear. Greed, deceit, hatred, and possessiveness are entirely absent. Concepts of truth and falsehood, righteousness and unrighteousness, simply do not exist. There are no divisions of caste or stages of life, nor are there occupations like herding, trading, or farming. The threefold Veda is unknown there, as are the sciences of punishment, service, and punishment itself. There is no rain, no rivers, nor do the people experience cold or heat. Instead, springs and waters emerge from the mountains, and time flows as it does in the land of Uttarakuru—always pleasant, untouched by the sorrows of old age. Creation takes place in regions such as Dhātakīkhanda and Mahāvīta, following the same harmonious order. The seven continents are each surrounded by their own oceans, and every ocean mirrors the continent it encircles. Thus, the mutual expansion of islands and oceans is to be understood: because the waters flow from one ocean to the next, they are collectively called 'samudra'—the ocean. Within these regions, the seasons are just as the Ṛṣis have declared. Four kinds of beings dwell there, and the seasons are always delightful, with the rains falling as described by the wise. When the moon rises in the east, the ocean swells and is filled; as the moon wanes or sets, the ocean’s waters recede greatly. This filling and emptying happens of its own accord: when the ocean increases, it replenishes itself, and when it decreases, the loss is also from itself. As the moon rises and its rays unite with the waters, the oceans blossom and grow; as it wanes, they shrink. Yet, the waters never increase or decrease beyond their natural measure—they simply swell and recede with the waxing and waning of the moon, during the bright and dark halves of the month. The rise and fall of the ocean’s waters precisely follow the phases of the moon, and the extent of this change is measured at one hundred and fifteen aṅgulas, or finger-widths. The waxing and waning of the oceans are observed in accordance with the lunar phases. The islands are called 'dvīpa' because they are surrounded twice, and the oceans are called 'udadhi' because they hold water. Mountains are called 'girayaḥ' because they are swallowed by the earth, and 'parvataḥ' because they are bound together in ranges. Each continent is marked by its own distinctive feature: in Śākadvīpa, the mountain Śāka stands prominent; in Kuśadvīpa, a great clump of kuśa grass rises at its center; in Krauñcadvīpa, the mountain Krauñca gives its name to the land. Śālmaladvīpa is famed for the revered Śālmalī tree, while on Gomeda, the mountain Gomeda is its namesake. On Puṣkaradvīpa, the sacred banyan tree known as Padmavat is honored by the great gods, for it is a portion of Brahmā, born from the unmanifest. There, Brahmā, the lord of all creatures, resides alongside the Sādhyas, and is worshipped by the gods and the thirty-three great sages. In that place, gods and sages alike pay him reverence. It is from Jambūdvīpa that various kinds of jewels arise. On all these islands, people live according to the order of uprightness, celibacy, truthfulness, and self-restraint. Their health and lifespan are twice, and then twice again, as great as those in earlier regions. The people are protected by the naturally wise, and food is always plentiful and effortless to obtain. Their food is of six tastes and is of great potency. Beyond these lands, the great one stands encircling Puṣkara. Around it, an ocean of fresh water extends on all sides, and beyond the fresh water stands a circular mountain. This is called Lokāloka, for it is both luminous and non-luminous; within it, there is both light and darkness, but beyond it lies utter darkness. The expanse of the earth forms only half of the world, bounded externally, and all around it is enveloped by a vast body of water. These waters, ten times greater than the earth itself, protect the earth on every side. Fire, ten times greater than water, upholds the waters everywhere. Wind, ten times greater than fire, supports the radiant element; it moves in circles and across, sustaining all the elements. Space, ten times greater than wind, upholds all the elements. The primal element sustains space, itself being ten times greater. The great elements, ten times greater than the primal element, uphold all that exists; and the principle of greatness is supported by the infinite, the unmanifest. By the relationship of support and what is supported, all these modifications arise from their sources. Earth and the other elements are each limited by the next, yet they are mutually superior and interpenetrate one another. Thus, arising from each other, they are sustained by one another. Through this mutual interpenetration, they attain stability; those without distinction remain, and distinctions arise from this very process. Earth and the other elements, ending with wind, are bounded in this way; beyond the elements, everywhere, is said to be utter darkness. Similarly, light in space is entirely bounded, just as small vessels are contained within a larger vessel. These elements, though lacking one another, rest upon each other; thus, light in space is divided, with some contained within, some outside. Each of these principles has been established, each superior to the last. As long as these principles endure, so long does creation continue to arise.