नाभीबन्धनसम्भूतो ब्रह्मणो ऽव्यक्तजन्मनः पूर्वतः श्वेतवर्णस्तु ब्राह्मण्यं तस्य तेन वै
Born from the binding of the navel of Brahmā, whose birth is unmanifest; to the east it is white, and thus its Brāhmaṇa nature is established.
पीतश्च दक्षिणेनासौ तेन वैश्यत्वमिष्येत भृङ्गिपत्त्रीनभश् चैव पश्चिमेन समन्वितः तेनास्य शूद्रता सिद्धा मेरोर् नामार्थकर्मतः
To the south it is yellow, and thus its Vaiśya nature is accepted; to the west, it is marked by the color of the bhṛṅgi leaf, and thus its Śūdra nature is established by name, meaning, and function.
पार्श्वमुत्तरतस्तस्य रक्तवर्णं स्वभावतः तेनास्य क्षत्रभावः स्याद् इति वर्णाः प्रकीर्तिताः
On its northern side, its natural color is red, and thus its Kṣatriya nature is established; thus the colors are described.
नीलश्च वैडूर्यमयः श्वेतः पीतो हिरण्मयः मयूरबर्हवर्णश्च शातकौम्भः स शृङ्गवान्
It is blue, made of beryl, white, yellow, golden, peacock-feather colored, and made of refined gold, and it is horned.
एते पर्वतराजानः सिद्धचारणसेविताः तेषामन्तरविष्कम्भो नवसाहस्रमुच्यते
These are the kings among mountains, frequented by perfected beings and celestial wanderers; the distance between them is said to be nine thousand.
मध्ये त्विलावृतं नाम महामेरोः समन्ततः चतुर्विंशत्सहस्राणि विस्तीर्णो योजनैः समः
In the middle, all around Mahāmeru, is a region called Ilāvṛta, which is twenty-four thousand yojanas wide, equal on all sides.
मध्ये तस्य महामेरुर् विधूम इव पावकः वेद्यर्धं दक्षिणं मेरोर् उत्तरार्धं तथोत्तरम्
In the center of that region stands Mahāmeru, like a smokeless fire; half of its altar lies to the south, and the other half to the north.
वर्षाणि यानि सप्तात्र तेषां वै वर्षपर्वताः द्वे द्वे सहस्रे विस्तीर्णा योजनैर्दक्षिणोत्तरम्
The seven regions here each have their own mountain ranges; each range, to the north and south, is two thousand yojanas wide.
जम्बूद्वीपस्य विस्तारस् तेषामायाम उच्यते नीलश्च निषधश्चैव तेषां हीनाश्च ये परे
The breadth of Jambūdvīpa is described by their length; Nīla and Niṣadha, and those others beyond, are lesser in extent.
श्वेतश्च हेमकूटश्च हिमवाञ्छृङ्गवांश्च यः जम्बूद्वीपप्रमाणेण ऋषभः परिकीर्त्यते
Śveta, Hemakūṭa, and Himavān with its peaks are also named; Ṛṣabha is mentioned according to the measure of Jambūdvīpa.
तस्माद्द्वादशभागेन हेमकूटो ऽपि हीयते हिमवान्विंशभागेन तस्मादेव प्रहीयते अष्टाशीतिसहस्राणि हेमकूटो महागिरिः
Hemakūṭa is diminished by one-twelfth from that; Himavān is reduced by one-twentieth from the same; Hemakūṭa, the great mountain, measures eighty-eight thousand.
अशीतिर्हिमवाञ्छैल आयतः पूर्वपश्चिमे द्वीपस्य मण्डलीभावाद् ध्रासवृद्धी प्रकीर्तिते
Himavān, the mountain, is eighty thousand in length from east to west; due to the circular nature of the island, decrease and increase are described.
वर्षाणां पर्वतानां च यथाभेदं तथोत्तरम् तेषां मध्ये जनपदास् तानि वर्षाणि सप्त वै
As the regions and mountains differ, so does the north; among them are settlements, and these are the seven regions.
प्रपातविषमैस्तैस्तु पर्वतैरावृतानि तु सप्त तानि नदीभेदैर् अगम्यानि परस्परम्
These seven regions are surrounded by mountains with steep slopes and difficult terrain, and they are mutually inaccessible due to the divisions of rivers.
वसन्ति तेषु सत्त्वानि नानाजातीनि सर्वशः इमं हैमवतं वर्षं भारतं नाम विश्रुतम्
Various beings of all kinds dwell in them; this snowy region is renowned as Bhārata.
हेमकूटं परं तस्मान् नाम्ना किम्पुरुषं स्मृतम् हेमकूटाच्च निषधं हरिवर्षं तदुच्यते
Beyond Hemakūṭa is the region called Kimpuruṣa; from Hemakūṭa to Niṣadha is known as Harivarṣa.
हरिवर्षात्परं चापि मेरोस्तु तदिलावृतम् इलावृतात्परं नीलं रम्यकं नाम विश्रुतम्
Beyond Harivarṣa, on Meru, is Ilāvṛta; beyond Ilāvṛta is Nīla, called Ramyaka and renowned.
रम्यकादपरं श्वेतं विश्रुतं तद्धिरण्यकम् हिरण्यकात्परं चैव शृङ्गशाकंकुरं स्मृतम्
Beyond Ramyaka is Śveta, known as Hiraṇyaka; beyond Hiraṇyaka is Śṛṅgaśākaṅkura, so it is called.
धनुःसंस्थे तु विज्ञेये देवर्षे दक्षिणोत्तरे दीर्घाणि तस्य चत्वारि मध्यमं तदिलावृतम्
Know, O divine sage, that in the north and south, arranged like a bow, there are four long regions; the middle one is Ilāvṛta.
पूर्वतो निषधस्येदं वेद्यर्धं दक्षिणं स्मृतम् परं त्विलावृतं पश्चाद् वेद्यर्धं तु तदुत्तरम्
To the east of Niṣadha is the southern half of the altar; beyond is Ilāvṛta, and to the west is the northern half.
तयोर्मध्ये तु विज्ञेयो मेरुर्यत्र त्विलावृतम् दक्षिणेन तु नीलस्य निषधस्योत्तरेण तु
Between them, know that Meru stands, where Ilāvṛta is; to the south of Nīla and to the north of Niṣadha.
उदगायतो महाशैलो माल्यवान्नाम पर्वतः द्वात्रिंशता सहस्रेण प्रतीच्यां सागरानुगः
To the north rises the great mountain Mālyavān; it extends thirty-two thousand towards the west, following the ocean.
माल्यवान्वै सहस्रैक आ नीलनिषधायतः द्वात्रिंशत्त्वेवमप्युक्तः पर्वतो गन्धमादनः
Malyavan, indeed, extends for one thousand yojanas, from Nila to Nishadha; likewise, Gandhamadana mountain is said to be thirty-two yojanas in breadth.
परिमण्डलयोर्मध्ये मेरुः कनकपर्वतः चातुर्वर्ण्यसमो वर्णैश् चतुरस्रः समुच्छ्रितः
In the center of these circular ranges stands Meru, the golden mountain, equal in color to the four castes, and rising up with a four-sided form.
नानावर्णः स पार्श्वेषु पूर्वान्ते श्वेत उच्यते पीतं तु दक्षिणं तस्य भृङ्गिपत्त्रनिभं परम् उत्तरं तस्य रक्तं वै इति वर्णसमन्वितः
It is of various colors on its sides: at the eastern end it is called white, to the south it is yellow, to the north it is said to be dark like the wings of a bee, and to the west it is red—thus it is endowed with colors.
मेरुस्तु शुशुभे दिव्यो राजवत्स तु वेष्टितः आदित्यतरुणाभासो विधूम इव पावकः
Meru shone resplendent, divine, encircled by royal standards, glowing with the radiance of the rising sun, like fire without smoke.
योजनानां सहस्राणि चतुराशीतिसूच्छ्रितः प्रविष्टः षोडशाधस्ताद् अष्टाविंशतिविस्तृतः
It rises to a height of eighty-four thousand yojanas, descends sixteen thousand below, and spreads twenty-eight thousand in breadth.
विस्तराद्द्विगुणश्चास्य परीणाहः समन्ततः स पर्वतो महादिव्यो दिव्यौषधिसमन्वितः
Its circumference is twice its breadth on all sides; that great and divine mountain is filled with celestial herbs.
भुवनैरावृतः सर्वैर् जातरूपपरिष्कृतैः तत्र देवगणाश्चैव गन्धर्वासुरराक्षसाः शैलराजे प्रमोदन्ते सर्वतो ऽप्सरसां गणैः
It is surrounded on all sides by worlds adorned with gold; there, hosts of gods, gandharvas, asuras, and rakshasas rejoice on the king of mountains, together with groups of apsaras.
स तु मेरुः परिवृतो भुवनैर्भूतभावनैः यस्येमे चतुरो देशा नानापार्श्वेषु संस्थिताः
That Meru is encircled by worlds, the abodes of beings, and at its various sides are situated these four regions.