Vayu Purana

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.

अत ऊर्द्द्वं प्रवक्ष्यामि शाकद्वीपस्य यो विधिः। शाकद्वीपस्य कृत्स्नस्य यथावदिह निश्चयात्। श्रृणुध्वं वै यथातत्त्वं ब्रुवतो मे यथार्थवत् ।। ४९.

Now I shall explain the order of Śākadvīpa; listen as I describe the entirety of Śākadvīpa here, as it truly is and as I have ascertained.

क्रौञ्चद्वीपस्य विस्ताराद् द्विगुणस्तस्य विस्तरः। परिवार्य समुद्रं स दधिमण्डोदकं स्थितः ।। ४९.

Śākadvīpa is twice as wide as Krauñcadvīpa, and it is encircled by the ocean of Dadhimaṇḍa water.

तत्र पुण्या जनपदाश्चिराच्च म्रियते जनः। कुत एव तु दुर्भिक्षञ्चराव्याधिभयं कुतः ।। ४९.

There, the people are virtuous, and they live long lives; there is no famine, nor is there fear of wild animals or disease.

तत्रापि पर्वताः शुभ्राः सप्तैव मणिभूषिताः। रत्नाकरास्तथा नद्यस्तासां नामानि मे श्रृणु ।। ४९.

There too are seven shining mountains adorned with jewels, and mines of gems, as well as rivers—listen to their names from me.

देवर्षिगन्धर्वयुतः प्रथमो मेरुरुच्यते। प्रागायतः स सौवर्ण उदयो नाम पर्वतः ।। ४९.

The first is Meru, attended by gods, sages, and gandharvas; to the east is the golden mountain called Udaya.

तत्र मेघास्तु वृष्ट्यर्थं प्रभवन्ति च यान्ति च। तस्यापरेण सुमहान् जलधारो महागिरिः ।। ४९.

There, clouds arise and depart for the sake of rain; beyond that is the great mountain Jaladhāra, a massive peak.

तस्मान्नित्यमुपादत्ते वासवः परमं जलम्। ततो वर्षं प्रभवति वर्षाकाले प्रजास्विह ।। ४९.

From there, Indra always draws the supreme water, and from that, rain arises in the rainy season for the beings here.

तस्यापरे रैवतको यत्र नित्यं प्रतिष्ठिता । रेवती दिवि नक्षत्रं पितामहकृतो गिरिः ।। ४९.

Beyond that is Raivataka, where the constellation Revatī is always established in the sky; this mountain was created by the Grandfather.

तस्यापरेण सुमहान् श्यामो नाम महागिरिः। तस्माच्छयामत्वमापन्नाः प्रजाः पूर्वमिमाः किल ।। ४९.

Beyond that lies the great mountain named Shyama; from it, indeed, these ancient peoples first acquired their dark complexion.

तस्यापरेण रजतो महानस्तो गिरिः स्मृतः। तस्यापरेणाम्बिकेयो दुर्गः शैलो हिमाचितः ।। ४९.८२ . आम्बिकेयात्परो रम्यः सर्वौषधिसमन्वितः । स चैव केशरीत्युक्तो यतो वायुः प्रवायति ।। ४९.

Beyond that is the great mountain known as Rajata; and further on is the Ambikeya, a fortress-like peak covered in snow. Beyond Ambikeya is the delightful mountain called Keshari, filled with every kind of medicinal herb, from which the wind blows.