Vayu Purana

शाल्मलिर्विपुलस्कन्ध स्तस्य नाम्ना स उच्यते। शाल्मलिस्तु समुद्रेण सुरोदेन समन्ततः। विस्ताराच्छाल्मलस्यैव समेन तु समन्ततः ।। ४९.

Śālmalī, with its broad trunk, is so called by name; Śālmalī is surrounded on all sides by the ocean of sweet water, and its expanse is equal on every side to that of Śālmalī itself.

उत्तरेषु तु धर्मज्ञा द्वीपेषु श्रृणुत प्रजाः। यथाश्रुतं यथान्यायं ब्रुवतो मे निबोधत ।। ४९.

Now hear, in the northern islands, O knowers of righteousness, about the peoples; listen as I speak to you, according to what has been heard and what is proper.

कुशद्वीपं प्रवक्ष्यामि चतुर्थं तं समासतः। सुरोदकः परिवृतः कुशद्वीपेन सर्वतः ।। ४९.

I shall briefly describe Kuśadvīpa, the fourth island, which is entirely surrounded by the Suroda sea.

सप्तैव गिरयस्तत्र वर्ण्यमानान्निबोधत। शाल्मलस्य तु विस्ताराद् द्विगुणेन समन्ततः ।। ४९.

There are seven mountains there—listen as I describe them; the extent of Kuśadvīpa is twice that of Śālmaladvīpa in every direction.

कुखद्वीपे तु विज्ञेयः पर्वतो विद्रुमोच्चयः। द्वीपस्य प्रथमस्तस्य द्वितीयो हेमपर्वतः ।। ४९.

In Kuśadvīpa, the first mountain is called Vidrumoccaya; the second is Hemaparvata.

तृतीयो द्युतिमान्नाम जीमूतसदृशो गिरिः। चतुर्थः पुष्पवान्नाम पञ्चमस्तु कुशेशयः ।। ४९.

The third is the radiant mountain named Dyutimān, resembling a rain cloud; the fourth is called Puṣpavān, and the fifth is Kuśeśaya.

षष्ठो हरिगिरिर्नाम सप्तमो मन्दरः स्मृतः । मन्दा इति ह्यपां नाम मन्दरो दारणादपाम् ।। ४९.

The sixth is the mountain named Harigiri, and the seventh is known as Mandara; Mandara is also called Mandā, and it is so named because it splits the waters.

तेषामन्तरविष्कम्भो द्विगुणः परिवारितः। उद्भिदं प्रथमं वर्षं द्वितीयं वेणुमण्डलम् ।। ४९.

The spaces between them are twice as wide as before; the first region is called Udbhida, the second is Veṇumaṇḍala.

तृतीयं स्वैरथाकारं चतुर्थं लवणं स्मृतम्। पञ्चमं धृतिमद्वर्षं षष्ठं वर्ष प्रभाकरम्। सप्तमं कपिलं नाम सप्तैते वर्षपर्वताः ।। ४९.

The third is of the form called Svairatha, the fourth is known as Lavaṇa; the fifth is Dhṛtimat, the sixth is Varṣaprabhākara, and the seventh is named Kapila—these are the seven mountain-regions.

एतेषु देवगन्धर्वाः प्रभास्तु जगदीश्वराः। विहरन्ति रमन्ते च दृश्यमानास्तु वर्षशः ।। ४९.

In these regions, the gods, Gandharvas, and radiant lords of the world dwell and delight, each visible in their own region.

न तेषु दस्यवः सन्ति म्लेच्छजात्यस्तथैव च। गौरप्रायो जनः सर्वः क्रमाच्च म्रियते तथा ।। ४९.

There are no robbers or foreign tribes among them; the people are mostly fair-complexioned, and all die in due course.

तत्रापि नद्यः सप्तैव धुतपापाः शिवास्तथा। पवित्रा सन्ततिश्चैव द्युतिगर्भा मही तथा ।। ४९.

There too are seven rivers, pure and auspicious, cleansing from sin; their streams are holy, and the earth there is radiant.

अन्यास्ताभ्यः परिज्ञाताः शतशोऽथ सहस्रशः। अभिगच्छन्ति ताः सर्वा यतो वर्षति वासवः ।। ४९.

Besides these, hundreds and thousands of other rivers are known; all of them flow where Indra causes rain.

घृतोदेन कुशद्वीपो बाह्यतः परिवारितः। विज्ञेयः स तु विस्तारात् कुशद्वीपसमेन तु ।। ४९.

Kuśadvīpa is surrounded on the outside by the ocean of clarified butter; it is to be understood that this ocean is equal in extent to Kuśadvīpa itself.

इत्येष सन्निवेशो वः कुशद्वीपस्य वर्णितः। क्रौञ्चद्वीपस्य विस्तारं वक्ष्याम्यहमतः परम् ।। ४९.

Thus the arrangement of Kuśadvīpa has been described to you; now I shall speak of the extent of Krauñcadvīpa.

कुशद्वीपस्य विस्ताराद् द्विगुणः स तु वै स्मृतः। घृतोदकसमुद्रो वै क्रौञ्चद्वीपेन संवृतः ।। ४९.

Krauñcadvīpa is said to be twice the size of Kuśadvīpa; it is surrounded by the ocean of clarified butter.

तस्मिन् द्वीपे नगश्रेष्ठः क्रौञ्चस्थः प्रथमो गिरिः। क्रौञ्चात्परो वामनको वामनादन्धकारकः ।। ४९.

In that island, the foremost mountain is Krauñca; beyond Krauñca is Vāmanaka, and beyond Vāmanaka is Andhakāraka.

अन्धकारात्परश्चापि दिवावृन्नाम पर्वतः। दिवावृतः परश्चपि दिविन्दो गिरिरुच्यते ।। ४९.

Beyond Andhakāraka is the mountain called Divāvṛt; beyond Divāvṛt is the mountain known as Divinda.

दिविन्दात्परतश्चापि पुण्डरीको महागिरिः। पुण्डरीकात्परश्चापि प्रोच्यते दुन्दुभिस्वनः ।। ४९.

Beyond Divinda is the great mountain Puṇḍarīka; beyond Puṇḍarīka is said to be Dundubhisvana.

एते रत्नमयाः सप्त क्रौञ्चद्वीपस्य पर्वताः। बहुवृक्षफलो पेता नानावृक्षलतावृताः ।। ४९.

These are the seven jewel-encrusted mountains of Krauñcadvīpa, abundant with many fruit-bearing trees and covered with various kinds of trees and creepers.

परस्परेण द्विगुणा विष्कम्भाद्वर्षपर्व्वताः । वर्षाणि तत्र वक्ष्यामि नामतस्तु निबोधत ।। ४९.

The mountains that divide the regions there are each twice as wide as the last; I will now speak of those regions—listen to their names.

क्रौञ्चस्य कुशली देशो वामनस्य मनोनुगः। मनोनुगात्परश्चोष्णस्तृतीयो देश उच्यते ।। ४९.

In Krauñcadvīpa, the first region is Kuśalī, the second is Manonuga of Vāmana, and the third region, following Manonuga, is called Uṣṇa.

उष्णात्परः प्रावरकः प्रावरादन्धकारकः। अन्धकारकदेशात्तु मुनिदेशः परः स्मृतः ।। ४९.

Beyond Uṣṇa is Prāvaraka, and beyond Prāvaraka is Andhakāraka; after the region of Andhakāraka, the next is known as Munideśa.

मुनिदेशात्परश्चैव प्रोच्यते दुन्दुभिस्वनः। सिद्धचारणसङ्कीर्णो गौरप्रायो जनः स्मृतः ।। ४९.

Beyond Munideśa is the region called Dundubhisvana, inhabited mostly by fair-complexioned people, and filled with Siddhas and Cāraṇas.

तत्रापि नद्यः सप्तैव प्रति वर्ष स्मृताः शुभाः । गौरी कुमुद्वती चैव सन्ध्या रात्रिर्मनोजवा । ख्यातिश्च पुण्डरीका च गङ्गा सप्तविधा स्मृता ।। ४९.

There too, in each region, are remembered seven auspicious rivers: Gaurī, Kumudvatī, Sandhyā, Rātri, Manojavā, Khyāti, Puṇḍarīkā, and Gaṅgā—these are the seven.

तासां समुद्रगाश्चान्या नद्यो यास्तु समीपगाः। अनुगच्छन्ति ताः सर्वा विपुलाः सुबहूदकाः ।। ४९.

Among them, other rivers flow into the ocean, and those that are nearby follow along—all are vast and carry abundant water.

क्रौञ्चद्वीपः समुद्रेण दधिमण्डोदकेन तु। आवृतः सर्वतः श्रीमान् क्रौञ्चद्वीपसमेन तु ।। ४९.

Krauñcadvīpa is entirely surrounded by the ocean of Dadhimaṇḍa water, and it is as splendid as Krauñcadvīpa itself.

प्लक्षद्वीपादयो ह्येते समासेन प्रकीर्त्तिताः। तेषां निसर्गो द्वीपानामानुपूर्व्येण सर्वशः ।। ४९.

Thus, Plakṣadvīpa and the other islands have been briefly described; the nature of these islands, in their proper order, is as follows.

न शक्यं विस्तराद्वक्तु मपि वर्षशतैरपि । निसर्गोऽयं प्रजानां तु संहारो यश्च तासु वै ।। ४९.

It is not possible to describe their full extent, even in hundreds of years; but the nature of the beings and their dissolution in those islands is as stated.