When Rudra, whose energy is beyond measure, offered his praises, the Lord was deeply pleased. His voice, resonant and thunderous, filled the space as he spoke. Viṣṇu addressed Rudra, saying, “Choose a boon, O god of gods, O consort of Umā. May all be well with you. Know that there is no difference between us—we are one and the same.” Rudra replied with humility, “O Lord, Brahmā has appointed me to create beings. Grant me, therefore, the threefold knowledge necessary for the generation of all creatures.” Viṣṇu responded warmly, “You are already omniscient, a repository of eternal wisdom, without doubt. Among all the gods, you shall always be the most highly revered.” Hearing these words, Umāpati—Rudra, the consort of Umā—spoke again, his heart filled with joy. “O Keśava, grant me another boon, one renowned among all beings. Assume a form, O Lord, and worship me; bear me, and in return, accept a boon from me, so that I may be worshipped above all other gods.” Viṣṇu agreed, saying, “Whenever I incarnate for the sake of the gods and take a human form, I will indeed worship you, and you, in turn, will grant me boons.” He continued, “As you have said, ‘Bear me,’ O god of gods, O consort of Umā, so I shall become a cloud and bear you for a hundred years.” Having spoken thus, Hari himself transformed into a cloud, lifted Maheśvara from the waters, and addressed him: “O Lord, the ten and one primal beings, called the Vairājas, have gone to the earth and are known as the Ādityas. A twelfth portion of myself, named Viṣṇu, has also descended and worships you, O Śaṃkara.” With these words, Nārāyaṇa created the sun from his own being, and, like a sound that fades into silence, disappeared from sight. Rudra then spoke, “This god Hari, all-pervading and the creator of all, once granted me a boon. Therefore, among the gods, I stand foremost. There is no god superior to Nārāyaṇa—nor has there been, nor will there ever be. This is the secret of the Vedas and the Purāṇas, O best of sages, which I have now revealed to you, as Viṣṇu is worshipped here.” Once again, Śrī Varāha recounted, all the sages approached Rudra—the ancient, eternal, unchanging, and imperishable one, the universal form, unborn, auspicious, three-eyed, and wielder of the trident. They addressed him with reverence: “O Lord of the gods, supreme among all, we have a single question. Out of compassion, please tell us: what is the measure and extent of the earth, the breadth of the mountains, the expanse of the oceans and rivers, and the dimensions of the cosmic egg?” Rudra replied, “In all the Purāṇas, the earth realm is described in detail, especially in the northwest, as the domain of Brahmā, Viṣṇu, Bhava, and others. Now, I will briefly explain the extent of the earth. Listen well, O knowers of dharma. “The supreme self, Nārāyaṇa, who is realized through all knowledge, free from impurity, subtler than thought, pervades all worlds and their light. His broad chest is adorned with yellow garments; he bears the earth and is characterized by qualities such as smallness, greatness, length, shortness, leanness, redness, and so forth. His form is pure consciousness. That blessed Lord, manifesting as sattva, rajas, and tamas, created the waters. Lying in yogic sleep upon these waters, the primeval Nārāyaṇa produced a lotus from his navel. In that lotus, the repository of all the Vedas, appeared Brahmā, the inconceivable lord of creatures. “Brahmā first created the sages Sanaka, Sanandana, Sanatkumāra, and others, devoted to knowledge. Later, he created Manu Svāyambhuva, Marīci, and the rest, up to Dakṣa. From Manu Svāyambhuva, the vast expanse of the world is described. Manu had two sons, Priyavrata and Uttānapāda. Priyavrata had ten sons: Āgnīdhra, Agnibāhu, Medha, Medhātithi, Dhruva, Jyotiṣmān, Dyutimān, Havyavapu, Matsya, and Savanānta. Priyavrata established seven of his sons as rulers over the seven continents: Āgnīdhra ruled Jambūdvīpa; Medhātithi ruled Śākadvīpa; Jyotiṣmān ruled Kuśadvīpa; Dyutimān ruled Krauñcadvīpa; Vapuṣmān ruled Śālmaladvīpa; Havya ruled Gomeda; and Savanānta ruled Puṣkara. “Savanānta, lord of Puṣkara, had two sons, Mahāvīta and Dhātakī, whose regions are known as Gomeda and Dhātakī. Dhātakī’s region is Dhātakīkhaṇḍa, and Kumuda’s is Kaumuda. Vapuṣmān, lord of Śālmaladvīpa, had three sons: Sakuśa, Vaidyuta, and Jīmūta, each ruling their respective regions. Dyutimān, lord of Krauñcadvīpa, had seven sons—Kuśala, Manugu, Goṣṭha, Uṣṇa, Pīvara, Udyānda, and Munidundubhi—who ruled the seven great regions of that continent. Jyotiṣmān, lord of Kuśadvīpa, also had seven sons—Udbhida, Veṇumāna, Rathopala, Ambana, Dhṛti, Prabhākara, and Kapila—each presiding over their own regions. Medhātithi, lord of Śākadvīpa, had seven sons—Śānta, Bhaya, Śiśira, Sukha, Udaya, Ānanda, and Śivakṣema—who ruled the regions of Śākadvīpa. “Āgnīdhra, lord of Jambūdvīpa, had nine sons: Nābhi, Kiṃpuruṣa, Harivarṣa, Ilāvṛta, Ramyaka, Hiraṇmaya, Kuru, Bhadrāśva, and Ketumāla. Each ruled a region: Nābhi’s was Hemavanta and Hemakūṭa; Kiṃpuruṣa’s, Naiṣadha; Harivarṣa’s, Merumadhya; Ilāvṛta’s, Nīla; Ramyaka’s, Śveta; Hiraṇmaya’s, Uttara; Kuru’s, Śṛṅgavata; Bhadrāśva’s, Mālyavanta; and Ketumāla’s, Gandhamādana. Thus, were the worlds established in the Svāyambhuva Manvantara. In every cycle, the earth is governed by seven rulers—this is the eternal nature of the kalpa. “Now, listen to the lineage of Nābhi. By Merudevī, Nābhi begot Ṛṣabha, whose eldest son was Bharata. Ṛṣabha gave the southern region of the Himālaya, called Bhārata, to Bharata. Bharata’s son was Sumati, who, after handing over the kingdom, went to the forest. Sumati’s son was Tejasa, followed by Satsura, Indradyumna, Parameṣṭhī, Pratihartṛ, Nikhāta, Unneta, Abhāva, Udgāta, Prastotṛ, Vibhu, Pṛthu, Ananta, Gaya, Naya, Virāṭ, Mahāvīrya, Sudhīman, Dhīmat, Mahān, Bhaumana, Tvaṣṭṛ, Virajā, Rāja, and Śatajit. Śatajit had a hundred sons, through whom the people multiplied, and thus the Bhārata region, marked by seven continents, was established. “The people of Bhārata enjoy this land through the progeny of these lineages. According to the sequence of Kṛta, Tretā, and other yugas, there are seventy-one such yuga cycles in each Manvantara. Thus, the auspicious Manvantara and the Svāyambhuva Manvantara have been described. Now, hear of the continents of Manu.” Rudra continued, “Next, I will describe Jambūdvīpa as it truly is, and also the number and extent of the oceans and continents, the many regions within, the famous rivers, the measure of the great elements, and the separate courses of the moon and sun. The thousands of divisions within the seven continents, by which the world is spread, cannot be described here in order. But I will describe the seven continents, along with the moon, sun, and planets, whose measures are determined by reasoning. Yet, know that those things which are truly inconceivable cannot be established by reason; that which is beyond nature is to be understood as inconceivable. “Now, listen as I describe the nine regions of Jambūdvīpa, their extent, and their circular form in terms of yojanas. Jambūdvīpa measures one hundred thousand yojanas all around, filled with various peoples and marked by auspicious features. It is crowded with Siddhas and Cāraṇas, adorned with mountains, rich in minerals, with rocks arising from them, and encircled by rivers flowing from the mountains. Vast and splendid, Jambūdvīpa is perfectly circular, surrounded by nine regions, and is the source of all beings. It is encircled on all sides by the salt ocean, equal in extent to Jambūdvīpa itself. “Six long mountain ranges extend eastward from it, called the Varsha mountains, while the eastern and western oceans penetrate deeply on both sides. Himavat is mostly snowy; Hemakuta is golden; and the great mountain Nishadha is exceedingly pleasant. Meru, the mountain of four colors, is golden and made of crystal, round and square in shape and elevated in height. Its sides are of various colors and endowed with the qualities of Prajapati; it arises from the navel circle of Brahmā, the supreme lord. “On the eastern side, it is white, signifying Brahmanhood; on the southern side, yellow, the color of the Vaishya; on the western side, the color of a bee’s wing, signifying the Shudra; and on the northern side, red, signifying the Kshatriya. Thus, the colors and their meanings are described. Meru is naturally round, both in color and size: blue, made of beryl, white and bright, golden, colored like a peacock’s tail, and crowned with golden peaks.” Thus did Rudra, the ancient and compassionate, reveal the mysteries of the world and its divine order to the sages.