In the ancient times, at the very heart of creation, there exists a vast and splendid land known as Jambūdvīpa. Perfectly circular in form, it radiates magnificence on all sides and is surrounded by nine distinct regions, serving as the very source from which all beings emerge. Encircling Jambūdvīpa on every side is the great salt ocean, matching the continent itself in size and grandeur. From the center of this land, six mighty mountain ranges stretch eastward—these are the renowned Varsha mountains. The oceans on both the eastern and western sides reach deep into the land, shaping its boundaries. Among these mountains, Himavat stands cloaked in perpetual snow, Hemakuta glows with a golden hue, and the great mountain Nishadha is celebrated everywhere for its delightful beauty. At the very center rises the majestic Mount Meru, a mountain of four colors, resplendent with gold and crystal. Its form is both round and square, and it towers high above all else. The sides of Meru shine with various hues, embodying the qualities of Prajapati. This sacred mountain emerges from the very navel of Brahma, the supreme lord of creation. On Meru’s eastern side, the mountain gleams white, signifying Brahmanhood. To the south, it glows yellow, representing the Vaishya class. The western side takes on the deep color of a bee’s wing, associated with the Shudra status, while the northern side radiates a red hue, signifying the Kshatriya class. Thus, the mountain reveals the fourfold order of society through its colors. Meru is naturally round in both color and size, dazzling with blue beryl, white brilliance, golden light, and the iridescent hues of a peacock’s tail. Its peaks are crowned with gold. These mountain kings are revered and served by Siddhas and Charanas, and the space between them measures nine thousand yojanas. At the very heart of Jambūdvīpa lies Ilāvṛta, a region born from the presence of great Meru, stretching nine thousand yojanas in every direction. At its core stands Meru itself, glowing like a smokeless fire, with half its mass rising to the south and half to the north. The six Varsha mountain ranges define the regions here, each summit rising a yojana in height. Every region ascends two thousand yojanas, a measure that defines the very length of Jambūdvīpa. The mountain ranges span an astonishing two hundred thousand yojanas in length, though Nila and Nishadha are slightly smaller. Included among these are Shveta, Hemakuta, Himavat, and many with towering peaks. Nishadha matches Jambūdvīpa in size; Hemakuta is smaller by one-twelfth, and Himavat is less than Hemakuta by one-twentieth. Specifically, Hemakuta, the golden mountain, extends for eighty-eight thousand yojanas, while Himavat stretches eighty thousand yojanas from east to west. Because of the continent’s circular shape, the regions and mountains expand and contract, and this pattern holds true for those in the north as well. Within these lands are the inhabited regions, each surrounded by steep and uneven mountains. Rivers divide these regions, making them difficult to traverse, and each is home to countless beings of diverse kinds and species. This is the Himavat region, where the noble lineage of Bharata thrives. Beyond Hemakūṭa lies the land of Kiṃpuruṣa. Further still is Niṣadha, known as Harivarṣa, and past Harivarṣa is Ilāvṛta, nestled beside Meru. Beyond Ilāvṛta lies the famed region of Nīla, followed by the celebrated Ramyaka. Beyond Ramyaka is Śveta, also called Hiraṇmaya, and past Hiraṇmaya is Śṛṅgavān, remembered as Kuru. The land, shaped like a great bow, holds two regions known as southern and northern. At its center are four islands, with Ilāvṛta in the middle, each four-sided. The southern half of the altar lies south of Niṣadha, while the northern half extends beyond Śṛṅgavān. On the southern half are three regions, and three more on the northern; between these, Ilāvṛta stands, crowned by Meru. To the south of Nīla and north of Niṣadha rises the grand mountain Mālyavat, stretching northward. Mālyavat’s breadth and height are each two thousand yojanas, and its length is thirty-four thousand yojanas. To its west lies Gandhamādana, a mountain equal in every dimension to Mālyavat. Between Mālyavat and Gandhamādana stands Meru, the golden mountain, circular, four-colored, four-sided, and towering into the heavens. In the beginning, all elements—water and the rest—emerged from the unmanifest. From this unmanifest arose the lotus of the earth, with Meru as its very pericarp. From this lotus, manifest and great, with four petals and five qualities, the many streams of creation flowed forth. Countless beings, living through endless cycles of time, by virtuous deeds, self-control, and greatness of soul, strive to attain the Supreme Person. This Supreme Person, the great yogi and god Janārdana, is to be meditated upon by all the worlds; he pervades all realms, is infinite, all-pervading, embodied, and imperishable. His form is not material, not born of flesh, fat, or bone; through his yoga and lordship, he assumes a form of pure existence. For his divine purpose, the eternal lotus arose in the world at the dawn of the new kalpa, marking the course of time. Upon that lotus appeared the god of gods, the four-faced one—Brahma, lord of progenitors and master of the world, known as Īśāna. Thus, the origin of the lotus’s seed is revealed, just as it truly happened, along with the creation of all beings. The waters themselves became the body of Viṣṇu, adorned with jewels, and from those waters arose the earth, shaped like a lotus and clothed in forests, completing the wondrous tapestry of creation.