At the very heart of the universe stands the golden mountain Meru, surrounded on all sides by realms that nurture and sustain living beings. Four great regions are established around Meru: to the east lie Bhadrāśva and Bhārata, to the west is Ketumāla, and to the north are the Kurus, sanctuaries for those whose lives have been marked by meritorious deeds. The region around Meru is likened to the pericarp of a vast lotus, perfectly circular and stretching for thousands of yojanas in every direction. This cosmic lotus is said to have nine and six filaments, each rising to a height of eighty-four yojanas, clearly visible in the spaces between. These filaments, scattered all around, extend for thirty thousand yojanas, while the lotus itself measures one hundred thousand yojanas in length and eighty in breadth. Four immense petals, each fourteen yojanas across, complete this celestial form. At the very center, the Karnika, or heart of the lotus, shines with hundreds of jeweled petals in a dazzling array of colors and radiant lights. Here, countless clusters of petals—golden and tinged with red—form a mountain of supreme beauty, with a thousand segments, a thousand inner hollows, and a thousand hundred petals. Its ravines are studded with precious gems, its platforms and features adorned with gold and jewels, and its gateways crowned with jeweled arches. Within this sacred space is the delightful assembly hall of Brahma, crowded with Brahmarshis and sages, and known throughout the worlds as Manovrati. Here, the glory of Lord Ishana is ever manifest, shining with the brilliance of a thousand suns, and residing in a great celestial palace. The hosts of gods approach the four-faced Lord Brahma himself, worshipping him with offerings, reverence, and salutations, as is proper. In those days, as measured by the reckoning of the gods, the great-souled ones practiced celibacy and walked the path of righteousness with pure minds. Having performed the proper worship and enjoyed the offerings, they honored ancestors and gods, living as householders devoted to their duties, humble and ever hospitable. Engaged in pure deeds, detached and purposeful, their sins were burned away by self-control, discipline, and charity. Their abode is the pure and faultless world of Brahma, the highest destination above all other realms, said to be fourteen thousand yojanas in extent. Above this world rises a beautiful, dark, and radiant mountain, shining like the young sun, adorned with veins of precious gems. Upon this mountain are splendid dwellings, filled with many kinds of jewels and jeweled gateways, encircling Meru on all sides. Among these northern mountains stands the supreme Chakrapata, thirty thousand yojanas in circumference, and Jarudhi, the lord of mountains, both renowned as the chief northern peaks. In due order, there are plateaus, inner valleys, and lakes among these mountains. From Chakrapata flows a river, ten yojanas wide, which moves upward across the earth. This river passes through the city of Amaravati, shining like the moon; when it obscures the sky, even the sun, moon, and stars are hidden. Here, the best of the twice-born serve at sunrise and sunset, at the sacred junctures of day and night, pleasing all the twice-born and the eight supreme mountains. The radiant, revolving light of this region is considered auspicious by both Rudra and Indra. To the east of Meru, in a region of supreme splendor surrounded by a ring of mountains gleaming with various minerals, lies the city of all the immortals. Rising within this mountain ring, the city is unassailable by the power of gods, demons, or rākṣasas. Its splendid walls and grand gateways are fashioned from Jāmbūnada gold. In the northeastern part of this city, also radiant and filled with celestial beings, are hundreds of aerial palaces, great reservoirs, and gardens ever joyful and auspicious, adorned with masses of flowers, banners, and flags. This delightful and prosperous city of Purandara is called Amarāvatī, made beautiful by the presence of gods, yakṣas, apsarases, and sages. At the very center of Amarāvatī is the renowned assembly hall Sudharmā, built of diamond and beryl and famed throughout the three worlds. Here dwells Indra, the glorious thousand-eyed lord and husband of Śacī, surrounded by siddhas and all the divine races. The noble lineage of Bhāskara, the great soul, is also present here, and the overseer of the gods himself is honored by all the deities. Around Amarāvatī, in the various directions, lie other splendid cities. In one direction is Tejovatī, the city of the great Agni; in another lies Saṃyamanī, the city of Vaivasvata, famed throughout the three worlds. In the southwest is the auspicious city Kṛṣṇāvatī, belonging to the wise Virūpākṣa. In the north lies Śuddhavatī, the city of Varuṇa, lord of the waters. Beyond that, in the northernmost sector, is Gandhavatī, the city of Vāyu, lord of the gods, surpassing all others in its qualities. Further still is Mahodayā, the delightful city of the lord of the guhyakas, with a beryl platform. In the eighth inner sector lies Manoharā, the city of the great Īśāna, filled with diverse beings, adorned with various flowers and grains, with forests and hermitages. This entire world of the gods is sought after by all, and is renowned as 'heaven.