Listen now, O wise one, to the wondrous arrangement of the world as revealed in the ancient lore. The vast regions of the earth are separated by mighty rivers, making them difficult to traverse; each is home to countless beings of many forms and species, living in their own domains. Among these regions lies Himavat, the sacred land where the lineage of Bharata flourishes. Beyond the golden Hemakūṭa mountains stretches the land known as Kiṃpuruṣa. Further still lies Niṣadha, also called Harivarṣa, and beyond that, on the slopes of the radiant Meru, stands Ilāvṛta. Past Ilāvṛta is the famed region of Nīla, followed by the celebrated Ramyaka. Beyond Ramyaka is Śveta, also known as Hiraṇmaya, and farther still is Śṛṅgavān, remembered as the land of the Kurus. This world itself is shaped like a mighty bow, with two great regions—southern and northern—spanning its breadth. At its heart are four great islands, with the illustrious Ilāvṛta at the center, each island perfectly four-sided. The land south of Niṣadha is regarded as the southern half of a grand altar, while the region beyond Śṛṅgavān is seen as its northern half. Upon the southern half of this altar are three regions, mirrored by three more in the north; between these, at the very center, stands Ilāvṛta, crowned by the golden Meru. To the south of Nīla and north of Niṣadha rises the formidable Mālyavat mountain, stretching northward, its breadth and height each two thousand yojanas, and its length a staggering thirty-four thousand yojanas. To its west stands Gandhamādana, a mountain equal in every measure to Mālyavat. Between these two, the golden Meru ascends—circular, four-colored, golden on all sides, and towering above all. In the beginning, from the unmanifest arose all the elements—water and the rest. From this unmanifest source, the earth appeared as a lotus, with Meru as its central pericarp. This lotus, of four petals and five qualities, gave rise to all the streams and forms of creation, spreading life in every direction. Through countless cycles, beings of great virtue and self-control, performing noble deeds, seek and attain the Supreme Person. That Supreme, the great yogi and god Janārdana, is the object of all meditation—the infinite, all-pervading, embodied, and imperishable Lord. His form is not of flesh, fat, or bone, but is pure existence, assumed by his own power and mastery of yoga. For his divine purpose, the eternal lotus arose at the dawn of each new kalpa, marking the passage of cosmic time. Upon that lotus was born the god of gods, the four-faced Brahma, lord of all progenitors, the master known as Īśāna. The origin of the lotus seed and the creation of all beings unfolded just as it truly happened. The very waters became the jeweled body of Viṣṇu, and from them the earth emerged, lotus-shaped and clothed in forests. Hear now, O twice-born, of the extent of this world-lotus, as spoken by the perfected ones. Four great regions are established here, and at their center stands the mighty Meru. Meru’s sides glow with different hues: white in the east, yellow in the south, the color of a bee in the west, and red in the north. Radiant and white, Meru rises among the royal lineages, shining like the rising sun or a smokeless fire, reaching a height of eighty-four thousand yojanas. It extends sixteen yojanas below the surface and is equally wide; at its summit, shaped like a dish, it broadens to thirty-two yojanas. Its breadth is three times its circumference on every side, measuring ninety thousand yojanas around, or ninety-six thousand yojanas if squared. This great divine mountain is adorned with celestial herbs and encircled by beautiful golden plateaus. Here, hosts of gods, Gandharvas, Nāgas, Rākṣasas, and the lovely Apsarases find delight on the king of mountains. Around Meru are abodes that nurture all beings, with four great regions established on its sides: Bhadrāśva and Bhārata to the east, Ketumāla to the west, and the Kurus to the north—sanctuaries for those who have performed meritorious deeds. The pericarp of this cosmic lotus is perfectly circular, spanning thousands of yojanas. It is said to have nine and six filaments, each eighty-four yojanas high, visible in the spaces between. These filaments extend thirty thousand yojanas, scattered all around. The lotus itself is a hundred thousand yojanas long and eighty yojanas broad, with four petals, each measuring fourteen yojanas. At the heart of this lotus lies the Karnika, adorned with hundreds of jeweled petals, resplendent with many colors and radiant light. It bears countless clusters of petals, golden and reddish, beautiful, with a thousand segments, a thousand inner hollows, and a thousand hundred petals—all forming a supreme, rounded mountain. Its ravines sparkle with precious gems, its platforms are decorated with jewels, its features adorned with gold and gems, and its gateways are embellished with jeweled arches. There, in the heart of Meru, is the delightful assembly hall of Brahma, crowded with Brahmarshis and sages, known as Manovrati, famed throughout all the worlds. Such is the sacred and wondrous structure of the world, as revealed by the ancient sages.