पश्यंति नहि दुर्वृत्तैः शक्यो द्रष्टुं महेश्वरः । तस्य शैलस्य शिखरात्क्षीरधारा द्विजोत्तमाः
Maheśvara cannot be seen by those of wicked conduct; from the summit of that mountain, O best of twice-born, a stream of milk descends.
विश्वरूपात्परमिता भीमनिर्घातनिस्वना । पुण्यापुण्यतमैर्जुष्टा गंगा भागीरथी शुभा
The Ganga, Bhagirathi, auspicious and vast as the form of the universe, resounding with a terrible thunder, is filled with the most virtuous and the most sinful.
प्लवंती च प्रवेगेन ह्रदे चंद्रमसः शुभे । तया ह्युत्पादितः पुण्यः स ह्रदः सागरोपमः
Swiftly flowing, she enters the pure lake of the moon; by her, that lake, vast as the ocean, became sacred.
तां धारयामास तदा दुर्द्धरां पर्वतैरपि । शतं वर्षसहस्राणि शिरसैव पिनाकधृक्
Then Pinākadhṛt bore her, difficult to sustain even for mountains, upon his head for a hundred thousand years.
मेरोस्तु पश्चिमे पार्श्वे केतुमालो द्विजोत्तमाः । जंबूखंडे तु तत्रैव महाजनपदो द्विजाः
On the western side of Meru is Ketumala, O best of twice-born; there, in the Jambū continent, is a great country, O twice-born.
आयुर्दशसहस्राणि वर्षाणां तत्र सत्तमाः । सुवर्णवर्णाश्च नरा स्त्रियश्चाप्सरसां समाः
There, O excellent ones, the lifespan is ten thousand years; the men are golden-hued, and the women are like Apsarases.
अनामया वीतशोका नित्यं मुदितमानसाः । जायंते मानवास्तत्र निस्तप्तकनकप्रभाः
There, people are free from disease and sorrow, always with joyful minds; men are born there with the radiance of refined gold.
गंधमादनशृंगेषु कुबेरः सह राक्षसैः । संवृतोप्सरसां संघैर्मोदते गुह्यकाधिपः
On the peaks of Gandhamādana, Kubera, lord of the Guhyakas, delights with hosts of Apsarases and Rākṣasas.
गंधमादनपार्श्वे तु परे विगतपातकाः । एकादशसहस्राणि वर्षाणां परमायुषः
Beside Gandhamādana, there are others, free from sin, whose supreme lifespan is eleven thousand years.
तत्र कृष्णा नरा विप्रास्तेजोयुक्ता महाबलाः । स्त्रियश्चोत्पलपत्राभाः सर्वाः सुप्रियदर्शनाः
There, O brāhmaṇas, the men are dark, endowed with energy and great strength; the women have the radiance of lotus petals, all exceedingly beautiful.
नीलोत्पलधरं श्वेतं श्वेताद्धैरण्यकं वरम् । वर्षमैरावतं विप्रा नानाजनपदावृतम्
There is the excellent white land bearing blue lotuses, and the golden land, and Airāvata, O brāhmaṇas, a region inhabited by many peoples.
धनुखंडेः महाभागा द्वे वर्षे दक्षिणोत्तरे । इलावृत्तं मध्यगं तु पंचवर्षाणि चैव हि
In Dhanukhaṇḍa, O highly fortunate ones, are two regions, southern and northern; in the middle is Ilāvṛta, and indeed there are five regions.
उत्तरोत्तरमेतेभ्यो वर्षमुद्रिच्यते गुणैः । आयुः प्रमाणमारोग्यं धर्मतः कामतोऽर्थतः
Each successive region surpasses the previous in qualities—lifespan, measure, health, righteousness, desire, and wealth.
समन्वितानि भूतानि तेषु सर्वेषु सत्तमाः । एवमेषा महाभागाः पर्वतैः पृथिवी चिता
All beings in these regions, O excellent ones, are endowed with these; thus, O highly fortunate ones, the earth is adorned with mountains.
हेमकूटस्तु सुमहान्कैलासो नाम पर्वतः । तत्र वैश्रवणो देवो गुह्यकैः सह मोदते
Hemakūṭa is a great mountain called Kailāsa; there, the god Vaiśravaṇa delights with the Guhyakas.
अस्त्युत्तरेण कैलासं मैनाकं पर्वतं प्रति । हिरण्यशृंगः सुमहान्दिव्यो मणिमयो गिरिः
To the north of Kailāsa, towards Mount Maināka, is the great and divine mountain Hiraṇyaśṛṅga, made of jewels.
तस्य पार्श्वे महद्दिव्यं शुभ्रं कांचनवालुकम् । रम्यं विष्णुसरो नाम यत्र राजा भगीरथः
Beside it is the great, divine, and pure lake with golden sands, delightful and known as Viṣṇu's Lake, where King Bhagiratha dwelt.
दृष्ट्वा भागीरथीं गंगामुवास बहुलाः समाः । यूपा मणिमयास्तत्र क्षेत्राश्चापि हिरण्मयाः
Having seen the Ganga, Bhagirathi, King Bhagiratha resided there for many years; there are jewel-encrusted sacrificial posts and fields of gold.
तत्रेष्ट्वा तु गतः सिद्धिं सहस्राक्षो महायशाः । स्रष्टा भूतिपतिर्यत्र सर्वलोकैः सनातनः
There, having performed sacrifice and attained perfection, the illustrious thousand-eyed one went, where the eternal creator, the lord of prosperity, abides with all the worlds.
उपास्यते तिग्मतेजा यत्र भूतः समंततः । नरनारायणौ ब्रह्मा मनुः स्थाणुश्च पंचमः
There, the blazing one is worshipped everywhere, along with Nara and Nārāyaṇa, Brahmā, Manu, and the fifth, Sthāṇu.
तत्र दिव्या त्रिपथगा प्रथमं तु प्रतिष्ठिता । ब्रह्मलोकादपाक्रांता सप्तधा प्रतिपद्यते
There, the divine threefold river was first established; departing from Brahmā's world, she divides into seven streams.
वटोदका सा नलिनी पार्वती च सरस्वती । जंबूनदी च सीता च गंगा सिंधुश्च सप्तमी
They are Vaṭodakā, Nalinī, Pārvatī, Sarasvatī, Jambūnadī, Sītā, and the seventh is Gaṅgā Sindhu.
अचिंत्या दिव्यसंज्ञा सा प्रभावैश्च समन्विता । उपास्यते यत्र सत्रं सहस्रयुगपर्यये
She is inconceivable, known as divine, endowed with powers, and is worshipped in the great assembly at the end of a thousand ages.
दृश्यादृश्या च भवति तत्रतत्र सरस्वती । एता दिव्याः सप्तगंगास्त्रिषुलोकेषु विश्रुताः
Sarasvatī becomes visible and invisible here and there; these seven divine Gaṅgās are renowned in the three worlds.
रक्षांसि वै हिमवती हेमकूटे च गुह्यकाः । सर्पा नागाश्च निषधे गोकर्णं च तपोवनम्
On Himavat dwell the Rākṣasas, on Hemakūṭa the Guhyakas, and on Niṣadha the serpents and Nāgas; Gokarṇa is a place of austerity.
देवासुराणां सर्वेषां श्वेतः पर्वतमुच्यते । गंधर्वा निषधे नित्यं नीले ब्रह्मर्षयस्तथा
For all the gods and asuras, Śveta is called the mountain; the Gandharvas always dwell on Niṣadha, and the Brahmarṣis on Nīla.
शृंगवांस्तु महाभागा देवानां प्रतिसंचरः । इत्येतानि महाभागाः सप्तवर्षाणि भागशः
The blessed Śṛṅgavān is the retreat of the gods; thus, these seven regions are most excellent, each with its own portion.
भूतान्युपनिविष्टानि गतिमंति ध्रुवाणि च । तेषामृद्धिर्बहुविधा दृश्यते देवमानुषा
Beings are settled there, moving and fixed; their prosperity, divine and human, is seen in many forms.
अशक्यं परिसंख्यातुं श्रद्धे या तु विभूषिता । यां तु पृच्छथ मां विप्रा दिव्यमेनां शशाकृतिम्
It is impossible to count, O faithful ones, that which is adorned; but you ask me, O Brāhmaṇas, about this divine region shaped like a hare.
पार्श्वे शशस्य द्वे वर्षे उक्ते ये दक्षिणोत्तरे । कर्णे तु नागद्वीपश्च काश्यपद्वीप एव च
Beside the hare are two regions, called the southern and northern; at the ear are Nāgadvīpa and Kāśyapadvīpa.