O wise one, listen closely as I recount, in faithful detail and order, the wondrous expanse of the world-lotus, as revealed by the perfected beings. In the heart of this cosmic lotus lie four vast regions, and at their very center rises the mighty mountain known as Meru. Meru’s sides gleam with different hues: to the east, it shines white as snow; to the south, it glows yellow; to the west, it bears the deep color of a bee; and to the north, it is tinged with red. This radiant, white Meru stands resplendent, revered among royal lineages, shining with the brilliance of the rising sun and the pure flame of a smokeless fire. Its summit soars to an astonishing height of eighty-four thousand yojanas, while its roots reach sixteen yojanas beneath the surface, and it is sixteen yojanas wide at its base. At the top, the mountain spreads out in the shape of a dish, extending thirty-two yojanas across. The breadth of Meru is three times its circumference on every side, and its full circumference measures ninety thousand yojanas; when measured as a square, it is described as ninety-six thousand yojanas all around. This divine mountain is blessed with celestial herbs and is entirely encircled by splendid golden plateaus. Upon Meru, all manner of celestial beings—gods, Gandharvas, Nāgas, Rākṣasas, and the enchanting Apsarases—gather and delight on this king of mountains. Around Meru are abodes that nurture all living beings, and the four great regions are established on its various sides: to the east lie Bhadrāśva and Bhārata; to the west, Ketumāla; and to the north, the land of the Kurus, sanctuaries for those who have performed meritorious deeds. The pericarp, or heart, of this world-lotus is perfectly circular, stretching thousands of yojanas in every direction. It is said to possess nine and six filaments, each rising eighty-four yojanas high, visible in the spaces between. The filaments themselves span thirty thousand yojanas, scattered throughout. The lotus measures one hundred thousand yojanas in length and eighty in breadth, with four petals, each fourteen yojanas in size. At the very center is the Karnika, which I shall now briefly describe. This core is adorned with hundreds of jeweled petals, resplendent in many colors and radiant with light. It boasts countless clusters of petals, golden and reddish, beautiful and abundant, with a thousand segments, a thousand inner hollows, and a thousand hundred petals, forming one supreme, rounded mountain. Its ravines are studded with precious gems, its platforms decorated with jewels, its features adorned with gold and gems, and its gateways crowned with jeweled arches. Within this sacred space stands the delightful assembly hall of Brahma, thronged with Brahmarshis and sages, known throughout all worlds as Manovrati. Here, the glory of Lord Ishana shines with the radiance of a thousand suns, manifest in his great celestial palace. To this place, all the gods come to approach the four-faced Lord, worshipping him with offerings, reverence, and salutations. In that divine realm, in days measured by the reckoning of the gods, the great-souled practiced celibacy, their minds pure and their conduct righteous. Having performed the proper worship and enjoyed the offerings, devoted to honoring both ancestors and gods, these householders were intent on their duties, humble, and ever welcoming to guests. Engaged in pure deeds, detached and purposeful, their sins were burned away through self-control, discipline, and charity. Their abode is the pure and faultless world of Brahma, the highest destination, surpassing all other realms, and stretching fourteen thousand yojanas in extent. Above this, on a beautiful, dark, and radiant mountain shining like the young sun, rises another splendid mountain adorned with veins of precious gems. There, in dwellings encrusted with jewels and jeweled gateways, encircling Meru on all sides, stand the supreme mountains called Chakrapata—thirty thousand yojanas in circumference—and Jarudhi, the lord of mountains, known as the northern ones. Now, let me describe the plateaus, inner valleys, and lakes among these chief northern mountains. From Chakrapata emerges a river, ten yojanas wide, flowing upward and established upon the earth. This river passes through the celestial city of Amaravati, shining like the moon; when its brilliance spreads, even the sun, moon, and stars are hidden from view. The best among the twice-born, who serve at sunrise and sunset, at the sacred junctures of day and night, bring delight to all the twice-born and to the eight supreme mountains. That radiant, revolving light is deemed auspicious by both Rudra and Indra. Now, hear further words from Rudra: In that very region to the east of Meru, of supreme splendor and encircled by a ring of mountains shining with many minerals, lies the city of all the immortals. Rising within the mountain ring, this city is unassailable, even by the proud strength of gods, demons, and rākṣasas. Its splendid walls and grand gateways are fashioned from Jāmbūnada gold. In the northeastern part of this city, also of supreme splendor, dwell radiant beings in hundreds of aerial palaces. The city is endowed with great reservoirs, ever joyful and auspicious, adorned with masses of flowers, and garlanded with banners and flags. Gods, yakṣas, apsarases, and sages fill this delightful and prosperous city of Purandara, known as Amarāvatī. At the very center of Amarāvatī stands a platform of diamond and beryl, renowned throughout the three worlds. This is the assembly hall called Sudharmā, the gathering place of the immortals.