O wise listener, attend as I recount the wondrous measures and movements of the heavens and the earth, as declared in the ancient Purāṇas. The radiant disk of the sun, so vital to all living beings, is said to be as wide as the very land of Bharata itself. Its width measures nine thousand yojanas, and its circumference, thrice that distance, encircles the sky with brilliance. Even more astonishing, the disk of the moon is twice as large as that of the sun. Now, let us turn our attention to the measure of the earth. The expanse of the earth, with its seven island-continents and encircling oceans, has been carefully enumerated by the wise. I shall recount this enumeration, as reckoned by those of great renown, for the proud ones of the past are regarded as equal to those of the present. In earlier times, the gods and antigods were known by their forms and names alone; thus, I shall describe the earth’s surface according to the arrangement of the present-day deities. The divine order now follows the current dispensation. The earth is said to span a total of one hundred and fifty million yojanas. Of this, half is attributed to the region of Meru, and from the very center of Meru, each direction is reckoned as one crore yojanas. Likewise, the expanse of half the earth is measured at ninety-nine hundred thousand and fifty thousand yojanas. Hear further: in each of the four directions from Meru, three crores are counted, making up the earth’s vastness. The total expanse of the earth, with its seven island-continents and surrounding oceans, is said to be seventy-nine hundred thousand yojanas. The inner disk of the earth is three times as wide, amounting to eleven crores of yojanas. In all, this inner circle is reckoned to be one hundred thousand and thirty-seven in number. The arrangement of the constellations in the sky matches the extent of the earth when fully encompassed. The circuit of the earth is considered equal to that of the heavens, especially at the summit of Mount Mānasa, which lies to the east of Meru. In these celestial regions, Mahendra’s city shines with uniform splendor, auspicious and adorned with gold, situated south of Meru and behind Mānasa. Vaivasvata Yama, lord of restraint, dwells in his own city, while on the western summit of Mānasa, the wise Varuṇa delights in his city, Suṣā. On the northern side, at the summit of Mānasa, lies Vibhāvarī, the city of Soma, equal in glory to Mahendra’s city. These four—guardians of the worlds—stand watch in the four directions for the establishment of righteousness and the protection of all realms. Above these guardians, everywhere along the southern course, the divine order is maintained. Now, listen to the movement of the sun as it reaches the solstice. At the start of the southern course, the sun glides swiftly, like an arrow released from the bow. Taking up the wheel of the luminaries, the sun continually revolves. When the sun is in the middle of its course, it is at Amarāvatī, the city of the gods. At the city of restraint, Vaivasvata’s domain, the sun is seen rising; at Suṣā, it is midnight; and at Vibhāvarī, the sun sets. When it is midday at Vaivasvata’s city, the sun is seen rising at Suṣā, Varuṇa’s city. At Vibhāvarī, it is midnight, while at Mahendra’s city, the sun sets. At midday in Suṣā, the sun is seen shining; at Vibhāvarī, Soma’s city, the sun rises, and at Amarāvatī, it ascends to its zenith. At midnight, in the city of restraint or at Varuṇa’s city, the sun sets, traversing the sky swiftly, like the spinning wheel of a firebrand. Thus, the sun moves among the revolving stars, gliding through the four southern quarters. With every sunrise and sunset, it rises again and again; during the forenoon and afternoon, it is seen at two temples each. At midday, the sun falls with its rays and brilliance, burning most intensely. As the day wanes, like cows returning home and their shadows growing shorter, the sun moves toward its setting. Sunrise and sunset are remembered as the eastern and western limits. Wherever the sun shines in front, so it shines behind and on both sides; wherever sunrise is witnessed, that is their sunrise, and where the sun disappears, that is their sunset. For all beings, Meru is to the north, and Lokāloka, the boundary of light and darkness, is to the south. Because of the vast distance and the enveloping darkness of the earth, the sun’s rays do not reach everywhere, and so, at night, the sun is not seen. Yet above, the sun, with its hundred thousand rays, stands ever-present; thus, when it is in the middle of Puṣkara, it shines forth. In the span of a single muhūrta, the sun traverses a thirtieth part of the earth. The distance covered in a thousand yojanas is remembered as a full hundred thousand and thirty-one, and fifty thousand, with others in addition. This is the prescribed measure of the sun’s movement per muhūrta. Following this sequence, when the sun reaches the southern segment, it traverses that region for a month, beginning from the northern side. Then, in the middle of Puṣkara, the sun moves along the southern course. The interval between Mānasottara and Meru is considered threefold. Now, let us learn the full extent of the southern segment in all directions, as the celestial journey continues in its eternal rhythm.