मैत्रेय उवाच । कथितो भवता ब्रह्मन् ! सर्गः स्वायम्भुवश्च मे । श्रोतुमिच्छाम्यहं त्वत्तः सकलं मण्डलं भुवः
Maitreya said: O Brāhman, you have described to me the creation of Svāyambhuva; I wish to hear from you about the entire expanse of the earth.
यावन्तः सागरा द्रीपास्तथा वर्षाणि पर्व्वताः । वनानि सरितः पुर्थ्यौ देवादीनां तथा मने
How many oceans, islands, regions, mountains, forests, rivers, and cities are there, as well as the abodes of the gods and others?
यत्प्रमाणमिदं सर्व्वं यदाधारं यदात्मकम् । संस्थानमस्य च मुने ! यथावद वक्तुमर्हसि
What is the measure of all this, what is its foundation, and what is its nature? O sage, you should properly describe its arrangement.
पराशर उवाच । मैत्रेय श्वूयतामेत्त संक्षेपाद गदतो मम । नास्य वर्ष शतेनापि वक्तु शक्यो हि विस्तरः
Parāśara said: Maitreya, listen as I briefly speak of this; for even in a hundred years, its full detail cannot be told.
जम्बू-प्लक्षह्वयौ द्रीपौ शाल्मलिशचापरो द्रिज । कुशः क्रौञ्चस्तथा शाकः पुष्करश्चैव सप्तमः
Jambū and Plakṣa are the names of two islands, and Śālmalī is another, O twice-born; Kuśa, Krauñca, Śāka, and Puṣkara are the seventh.
एते द्रीपाः समुद्रस्तु सप्त सप्तभिरावृताः । लवणेक्षु-सुरा-सर्पिर्दधि-दुग्ध-जलैःसमम्
These islands are seven, and seven oceans surround them; with waters of salt, sugarcane juice, wine, clarified butter, curds, milk, and water.
जम्बूद्रीपः समस्तानाम् एतेषां मध्यसंस्थितः । तस्यापि मैरुर्म्मैत्रेय ! मध्ये कनकपर्व्वतः
Jambūdvīpa is situated in the middle of all these; and in its center, O Maitreya, is the golden mountain.
प्रविष्टः षोड़शाधस्ताद् द्रात्रिंशन्मूदूर्ध्न विस्तृतः
It extends sixteen thousand leagues below and thirty-two thousand above.
मूले षोड़शसाहस्त्रो विस्तारस्तस्य सर्व्वशः । भूपद्मस्यास्य शैलेशः कर्णिकाकारसंस्थितः
At its base, the width is sixteen thousand in all directions; this lord of mountains is shaped like the pericarp of a lotus.
हिमवान् हेमकूटश्च निषधश्वास्य दक्षिणो । नीलः श्वेतश्व श्वृङ्गी च उत्तरे वर्षपर्व्वताः
Himavat and Hemakūṭa, and Niṣadha are to its south; Nīla, Śveta, and Śṛṅgī are the mountains to the north.
लक्षप्रमाणौ द्रौ मध्यौ दशहीनास्तथापरे । सहस्त्रद्रितयोच्छायास्तावदविस्तारिणश्व ते
Two of these in the middle are a hundred thousand in measure, the others are each ten thousand less; their height is three thousand leagues, and they extend as far as their width.
भारतं प्रथमं बर्षं ततः किम्पुरुषं स्मृतम् । हरिवर्षं वान्यन्मेरोर्दक्षिणातो द्रिज
Bhārata is the first region, then comes Kimpuruṣa as it is known; and Harivarṣa is another, south of Meru, O twice-born.
रम्यकञ्चोत्तरे वर्षं तस्यैवानु हिरण्मयम् । उत्तराःकुरवश्चैव यथा वै भारतं तथा
Ramyaka is in the north, and next to it is Hiraṇmaya; and the Uttarakurus are there as well, just as Bhārata is.
नवसाहस्त्रमेकैकमेतेषां द्रिजसत्तम् ! इलावृतञ्च तन्मध्ये सौवर्णो मेरुरुच्छितः
Each of these, O best of twice-born, is nine thousand in extent; and in the middle of them is Ilāvṛta, with the golden Meru rising high.
मेरोश्वतुर्दिशं तत्तु नवसाहस्त्रविस्तृतम् । इलावृतं महाभाग ! चत्वारश्वात्र पर्व्वताः
O illustrious one, to the east of Meru lies Ilāvṛta, extending nine thousand yojanas; and there are four mountains here.
विष्कम्भा रचिता मरोर्योजनायुतमुच्छिताः
These are the buttresses constructed from Meru, rising to a height of ten thousand yojanas.
पूर्व्वेण मन्दरो नाम दक्षिणो गन्धमादनः । विपुलः पश्विमे पाश्व सुपार्श्वश्वोत्तरे स्मृतः
To the east is Mandara by name, to the south is Gandhamādana; to the west is Vipula, and to the north is Supārśva, so it is remembered.
कदम्बस्तेषु जम्बूश्व पिप्पलो वट एव च । एकादशशाततायामाः पादपा गिरिकेतवः
On these are kadamba, jambū, pippala, and banyan trees; the trees, like mountain peaks, are each eleven hundred yojanas tall.
जम्बूद्रीपस्य सा जम्बूर्नामहेतुर्महामुने । महागजप्रमाणानि जम्ब्वास्तस्याः फलानि वै
O great sage, the jambū tree there is the reason for the name Jambūdvīpa; its fruits are indeed the size of great elephants.
पतन्ति भूभृतः पृष्ठे शीर्य्यमाणानि सर्वतः । रसेन तेषां प्रख्याता तत्र जम्बूनदीति वै
When these fruits fall and break apart on the mountain slopes, their juice flows everywhere; from that juice, the river called Jambūnadī is renowned there.
सरित् प्रवर्त्तते सा च पीयते तन्निवासिभिः । नि स्वेदो न च दौर्गन्ध्यं न जरा नेन्द्रियक्षयः
That river flows forth and is drunk by the inhabitants there; from this, there is no sweat, no foul odor, no old age, nor decline of the senses.
तत्पानात् स्वच्छमनसां जनानां तत्र जायते । तीरमृत् तदूरसं प्राप्य सुखवायुविशोषिता । जाम्बूनदाख्यं भवति सुवर्णं सिद्धभूषणम्
By drinking it, people of pure mind are born there; when the river's foam, dried by gentle winds, reaches the banks, it becomes gold called Jāmbūnada, fit for the ornaments of the perfected.
भद्राश्वं पूर्व्वतो मेरोः केतुमालञ्च पश्चिमे । वर्षे द्र तु मुनिश्वष्ठ! तयोर्म्मध्ये इलावृतम्
To the east of Meru is Bhadrāśva, and to the west is Ketumāla; know, O sage, that Ilāvṛta lies between these two regions.
वनं चैत्ररथं पूर्व्वे दक्षिणो गन्दमादनम् । वैभ्राजं पश्विमे तदूदुत्तरे नन्दनं स्मृतम्
In the east is the forest Caitraratha, to the south is Gandhamādana, to the west is Vaibhrāja, and to the north is the renowned Nandana.
अरुणोदं महाभद्रमसितोधं समानसम् । सरोस्येतानि चत्वारि देवभोग्यानि सर्व्वदा
Aruṇoda, Mahābhadra, Asitoda, and Śamāna—these four lakes are always enjoyed by the gods.
शीतान्तश्वक्रमुञ्जश्व कुररी माल्यवांस्तथा । वैकङ्कप्रमुखा मैरोःपूर्व्वतः केशराचलाः । त्रिकूटः शिशिरश्चैव पतङ्गो रुचकस्यथा
Śītānta, Śvakramuñja, Kurarī, and Mālyavān, as well as Vaikaṅka and others, are the Kesarācala mountains to the east of Meru; Trikūṭa, Śiśira, Pataṅga, and Rucaka are also there.
निषधाद्या दक्षिणातस्तस्य केसरपर्व्वताः । शिखिवासाः सवैदूर्य्यः कपिलो गन्धमादनः । जारुधिप्रमुखास्तदूत् पश्विमे केसराचलाः
To the south, beginning with Niṣadha, are the Kesarācala mountains: Śikhivāsa, Savaidūrya, Kapila, Gandhamādana; to the west, beginning with Jārudhi, are also Kesarācala mountains.
मेरोरनन्तराङ्गषुं जठरादिष्ववस्थिताः । शङ्खकूटोऽथ ऋषभो हंसो नागस्तथापरः। कालञ्जराद्याश्व तथा उत्तरे केशराचलाः
Adjacent to Meru, situated in the regions such as Jaṭhara, are Śaṅkhakūṭa, Ṛṣabha, Haṃsa, Nāga, and others; to the north, beginning with Kālañjara, are the Kesarācala mountains.
चतुर्ददशसहस्त्राणि योजनानां महापुरी । मेरोरुपरि मैत्रेय! ब्रह्मणःप्रथिता दिवि
O Maitreya, atop Meru is the great city of Brahmā, renowned in the heavens, measuring fourteen thousand yojanas.
तस्याः समन्ततश्वाशष्टौ दिशासु विदिशासु च । इन्द्रादिलोकपालानां प्रख्याताः प्रवराःपुरः
All around it, in the eight directions and intermediate directions, are the famous foremost cities of Indra and the other guardians of the worlds.