He established Savana as the king over the continent of Puṣkara. Āgnīdhra, O best of sages, became the lord of Jambūdvīpa, and to him were born nine sons, each as radiant and capable as Prajāpati himself. Their names were Nābhi, Kimpuruṣa, Harivarṣa, Ilāvṛta, Ramya, Hiraṇvān, Kuru, Bhadrāśva, and Ketumāla, a king of great virtue. Now, O brāhmaṇa, listen as I describe how Āgnīdhra divided the vast Jambūdvīpa among these sons. To Nābhi, he gave the southern region called Himāhvān; to Kimpuruṣa, the land known as Hemakūṭa. The third region, Naiṣadha, was allotted to Harivarṣa, while Ilāvṛta received Meru, the central and most prominent realm. Ramya was given the region at the foot of the Nīla mountain, and Hiraṇvān received the northern region called Śveta. Kuru was granted the land north of Śṛṅgavān, and Bhadrāśva received the region to the east of Meru. To Ketumāla, Āgnīdhra gave the land of Gandhamādana. Thus did this noble king distribute the lands among his sons. Having installed his sons as rulers in these regions, the king himself departed to the highly sacred Shalagrama to pursue ascetic practices, O Maitreya. In these eight regions, beginning with Kimpuruṣa, perfection is innate and happiness is attained effortlessly. There, the people do not experience the opposites of pleasure and pain, nor are they subject to old age or death. Righteousness and unrighteousness are unknown to them, and there are no distinctions of superior, inferior, or middling. The divisions of ages do not exist there at any time. But the region called Himahvaya belonged to the great-souled Nābhi. His son was the illustrious Ṛṣabha, born of Merudevi. From Ṛṣabha came Bharata, the eldest among a hundred sons. After ruling his kingdom righteously and performing various sacrifices, Ṛṣabha installed his eldest son, Bharata, as the lord of the earth. Ṛṣabha, that highly fortunate one, then journeyed to the hermitage of Pulastya, resolved to live the life of a forest-dweller. He practiced severe austerities, and as his penance deepened, his body became emaciated, his veins standing out. Clad only in the sky, with a strip of cloth placed in his mouth, he departed along the path of heroes. Because his father gave this land to Bharata when he renounced the world, this region is renowned among the worlds as Bhārata. To Bharata, Sumati was born—a son of supreme righteousness. After performing the proper sacrifices, Bharata bestowed the desired kingdom upon Sumati, thus transferring his own prosperity to his son. Devoted to yoga, Bharata relinquished his life at Shalagrama and was reborn as a brāhmin in the foremost family of yogis. O sage, let me tell you of the descendants of Sumati. From that illustrious Sumati was born Indradyumna, and from him Parameṣṭhi; his son was Pratihāra, and Pratiharta was born of him. From Bhuva came Udgītha, and his son was Prastāra. Prithu’s son was Nakta, from whom came Gaya. Nara was the son of Gaya, and his son was Virāṭ, who in turn had a son of great strength and intelligence. His son was Mahanta, followed by Umanasyu. Tvashtri was the son of Tvashtri, and Viraja was the son of Raja. To Śatajid, the king, were born a hundred sons, foremost among whom were Viśagu and Jyotiḥ, and by them the peoples of the earth increased. By these descendants, the land of Bhārata was divided into nine regions, and in ancient times, this Bhāratī was enjoyed by those born in their line. With the creation of the yugas—Kṛta, Tretā, and others—the cycles of time were established. Thus, this is the creation of Svāyambhuva, by whom the world was filled. In the Varāha kalpa, O sage, he was the lord of the previous manvantara. Maitreya then said: “O Brāhmaṇa, you have described to me the creation by Svāyambhuva. Now I wish to hear from you about the entire expanse of the earth. How many oceans, islands, regions, mountains, forests, rivers, and cities are there? And what of the abodes of the gods and others? What is the measure of all this, what is its foundation, and what is its nature? O sage, please describe all this properly.” Parāśara replied: “Maitreya, listen as I briefly speak of this, for even in a hundred years the full detail cannot be told. The islands are seven: Jambū, Plakṣa, Śālmalī, Kuśa, Krauñca, Śāka, and Puṣkara. These islands are encircled by seven oceans, each with waters of salt, sugarcane juice, wine, clarified butter, curds, milk, and water. Jambūdvīpa is situated at the very center of them all, and in its center, O Maitreya, stands the golden mountain Meru. It extends sixteen thousand leagues below the earth and rises thirty-two thousand leagues above. At its base, it is sixteen thousand leagues wide in every direction, shaped like the pericarp of a lotus. To its south are the mountains Himavat, Hemakūṭa, and Niṣadha, while to the north stand Nīla, Śveta, and Śṛṅgī.