The sages gathered with reverence before Rudra, the ancient and imperishable Lord, and sought to understand the mysteries of the world. Prior to this, Nārāyaṇa himself had revealed profound truths: “A twelfth portion of myself, known as Viṣṇu, has descended to earth and worships you, O Śaṃkara.” With these words, Nārāyaṇa manifested the sun from his own being, and, like a sound that vanishes unseen, he disappeared, leaving those present in awe. Then Rudra, filled with the memory of divine grace, spoke: “This god Hari, all-pervading and creator of all, once granted me a boon; thus, among the gods, I am foremost. There is no god superior to Nārāyaṇa—never has there been, nor will there be. This is the secret of the Vedas and the Purāṇas, O best of sages, which I have now shared with you, as Viṣṇu is worshipped here.” Hearing these words, the sages, full of devotion, again approached Rudra, who is eternal, unchanging, the three-eyed Lord, auspicious and the wielder of the trident, and addressed him: “O supreme among the gods, O consort of Umā, you alone are worthy to answer our question. Out of compassion, please reveal to us 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, listen as I briefly explain the extent of the earth, O knowers of dharma. The supreme self, Nārāyaṇa, subtle beyond thought, pure and all-pervading, adorned with yellow garments, the bearer of the earth—he, manifesting in the three qualities of sattva, rajas, and tamas, created the waters. Lying in yogic sleep upon these primordial waters, the Supreme Lord produced a lotus from his navel. From that lotus, the repository of all Vedas, emerged Brahmā, the 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 unfolded. Manu had two sons, Priyavrata and Uttānapāda. Priyavrata, in turn, 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 was given Jambūdvīpa; Medhātithi, Śākadvīpa; Jyotiṣmān, Kuśadvīpa; Dyutimān, Krauñcadvīpa; Vapuṣmān, Śālmaladvīpa; Havya, Gomeda; and Savanānta, 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, each presiding over a great region. Jyotiṣmān, lord of Kuśadvīpa, also had seven sons, while Medhātithi, lord of Śākadvīpa, had seven sons, each ruling a region. Āgnīdhra, lord of Jambūdvīpa, had nine sons: Nābhi, Kiṃpuruṣa, Harivarṣa, Ilāvṛta, Ramyaka, Hiraṇmaya, Kuru, Bhadrāśva, and Ketumāla—each ruling over a distinct region. Nābhi’s region was Hemavanta and Hemakūṭa; Kiṃpuruṣa’s was Naiṣadha; Harivarṣa’s was Merumadhya; Ilāvṛta’s was Nīla; Ramyaka’s was Śveta; Hiraṇmaya’s was Uttara; Kuru’s was Śṛṅgavata; Bhadrāśva’s was Mālyavanta; and Ketumāla’s was Gandhamādana. Thus, the worlds were established in the Svāyambhuva Manvantara, and in every cycle, the earth is governed by seven rulers—this is the constant nature of the kalpa. Now, I will recount Nābhi’s lineage. Nābhi, by Merudevī, begot Ṛṣabha, whose son was Bharata, the eldest. Ṛṣabha gave the southern region of the Himālaya, called Bhārata, to his son Bharata. Bharata’s son was Sumati. After giving the kingdom to his son, Bharata too retired 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, by whom the people increased, and thus the Bhārata region, marked by seven continents, was established. Through the descendants of this lineage, the people of Bhārata enjoy the land, and in each cycle of the yugas—Kṛta, Tretā, and others—there are seventy-one such cycles. Thus, the auspicious Manvantara and the Svāyambhuva Manvantara have been described, along with the continents of Manu. Rudra continued: “Now, I will describe Jambūdvīpa as it truly is, along with the number and extent of its oceans and continents, the regions within, the rivers remembered there, 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 all be described here in order. But I will recount the seven continents, along with the moon, sun, and planets, whose measures are determined by reasoning. Indeed, those things which are inconceivable cannot be grasped by reasoning alone; what is beyond nature is to be understood as inconceivable. Listen now 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 yojanas. It is crowded with Siddhas and Cāraṇas, adorned with mountains, rich in minerals, with rocks arising from them, and encircled on all sides by rivers issuing from the mountains. Vast and splendid, Jambūdvīpa is perfectly circular, surrounded by nine regions and the source of all beings. Around it lies the salt ocean, equal in extent to Jambūdvīpa itself. Six long mountain ranges, called the Varsha mountains, extend eastward, while the eastern and western oceans penetrate deeply on both sides. Among these mountains, Himavat is mostly snowy, Hemakuta is golden, and Nishadha is always pleasant. At the center stands Meru, the mountain of four colors—golden and crystalline, both round and square, elevated and radiant. Its sides are of various colors, endowed with the qualities of Prajapati, and it rises from the navel of Brahmā, the supreme lord. On Meru’s eastern side, the color is white, signifying Brahmanhood; on the southern, yellow, signifying the Vaishya status; on the western, the color of a bee’s wing, signifying the Shudra status; and on the northern, red, signifying the Kshatriya status. The mountain is naturally round, blue like beryl, white and bright, golden, colored like a peacock’s tail, and crowned with golden peaks. These mountain kings are served by Siddhas and Charanas, and the distance between them is said to be nine thousand yojanas. In the middle lies Ilavrita, the region arising from the great Meru, nine thousand yojanas in every direction. At its center, Meru stands like a smokeless fire, half to the south and half to the north. The six regions here are the Varsha mountains; the summit of each region is one yojana, and each rises two thousand yojanas. The length of the mountains is two hundred thousand yojanas; Nila and Nishadha are slightly less, while Shveta, Hemakuta, Himavat, and their peaks are included. Nishadha is equal in size to Jambūdvīpa; Hemakuta is less by one-twelfth, and Himavat is less than Hemakuta by one-twentieth. Hemakuta measures eighty-eight thousand yojanas; Himavat, eighty thousand yojanas from east to west. Due to the continent’s circular shape, the increase and decrease of the regions and mountains are thus described, and the same applies to the northern ones. Among them are the inhabited lands, surrounded by those steep and uneven mountains. Thus, the sages listened with wonder as Rudra revealed the divine structure and lineage of the world, upholding the eternal secrets of the Vedas and Purāṇas.