Śrīmad Devī Bhāgavatam

Nārada said :-- Thou, the Knower of everything! Describe about the remaining Dvīpas, knowing which we will be highly delighted.

Nārāyaṇa spoke thus :-- The very vast Ghrita Sāgara (the ocean of clarified butter) is encircling the Kuśa Dvīpa. Next to it is the Krauñca Dvīpa. It is twice as large as Kuśa.

The Kṣīra Sāgara (the ocean of milk) is surrounding this Dvīpa. The Krauñca mountain is standing here. The name of this Dvīpa is derived from this mountain. In days gone by, the highly intelligent Kārtikeya burst this mountain by his own prowess. This Dvīpa is washed by the Kṣīra Sāgara; and Varuṇa is its Regent.

The son of Priyavrata, Ghritapṛṣṭha, respected by all and whose prosperity knows no end, is the Lord of this Dvīpa. He divided this Dvīpa into the seven parts and distributed them to his sons and named the Varṣas after the names of his sons.

He made his sons the rulers of those places and he himself took the refuge of the Bhagavān Nārāyaṇa The names of the seven Varṣas are respectively :-- Āma, Madhuruha, Meghapṛṣṭha, Sudhāmaka, Bhrājiṣṭha, Lohitārṇa, and Vanaspati. O Nārada! The seven mountains and the rivers there are very celebrated throughout the worlds.

The names of the mountains are :-- Śūkla, Vardhamāna, Bhojana, Upavarhaṇa, Nanda, Nandana, and Sarvatobhadra. The names of the rivers are :-- Abhayā, Amritaughā, Āryakā, Tīrthavatī, Vrittirūpavatī, Śuklā, and Pavitravatikā.

The inhabitants there drink the highly pure water of these rivers. The people there are divided into four colours Puruṣa, Ṛṣabha, Draviṇa, and Vedaka and they worship the Bhagavān Varuṇa, of the form of water.

Then they become very discriminative, and, with great devotion, and holding full within their folded palms the water, repeat the following mantra :-- “O Water! Thou art the essence Vīrya of the Person Bhagavāna and Thou sanctifiest the Bhūrloka, Bhuvarloka, and Svarloka.

Thou destroyest the sins of all. We all are touching it; purify our bodies.” After finishing their mantrams, they sing various hymns to Varuṇa. Next to the Kṣiroda Sāgara, is the Śaka Dvīpa, thirty two lakh yoyanas wide, surrounded by the Dadhi Sāgara (the ocean of curds), of similar dimensions. Here the most excellent tree named the Śaka tree exists.

O Nārada! The Dvīpa is named so after the tree. Medhātithi, the son of Priyavrata is the Lord of this Dvīpa. He divided this land into the seven Varṣas and distributed each to his seven sons respectively; and ultimately he took refuge to the path of Yoga.

The names of the seven Varṣas are Purojava, Manojava, Pavamānaka, Dhūmrānīka, Citrarepha, Bahurūpa, and Viśvadhrik. In these Varṣas there are seven mountains, one in each Varṣa, as forming their boundaries; and there are seven rivers also. The names of the mountains are :-- Īśana, Ūruśriṅga, Valabhadra, Śata Keśara, Sahasra-srotaka, Devapāla, and Mahāsana; the names of rivers are

Anaghā, Āyurdā, Ubhayaspṛṣṭi, Aparājitā, Pañchapadī, and Sahasraśruti and Nijadhriti. These seven rivers are all very big and resplendent with lustre. The people are divided into four classes :-- Varṣas, Satyavrata, Kratuvrata, Dānavrata, and Aṇuvrata. They all take the Prāṇayāma exercise and thereby bring the Rājas, and Tamo Guṇa under their subjection and they worship Hari, of the nature of Prāṇa Vayu, Higher than the Highest.

Their mantra is this :-- “He has entered into all the living beings and nourishes them by the Prāṇa and other faculties; He is the Internal Ruler of all and the Supreme Controller; this Universe is under His control; let Him protect and nourish us.”

O Nārada! Next to this Dadhi Sāgara is Puṣkara Dvīpa; it is twice as large as Śāka Dvīpa. It is surrounded by the Dudha Sāgar (the ocean of milk) all twice as large. The leaves of Puṣkara tree that shines in the Puṣkara Dvīpa, are fiery like golden flames; they are as clean and pure.

Crores and crores of leaves, golden in colour ornament this Tree. Vāsudeva, the Guru of all the Lokas, has created this Puṣkara Dvīpa as the seat of Parameṣṭhī Brahmā, possessed of six extraordinary powers, for the purpose of creation. There is one mountain in this Dvīpa; it is divided into two parts, named Arvācīna and Parācīna.

These form the boundaries of the two Varṣas. The mountain is one Ayuta Yoyana high and one Ayuta Yoyana wide. There are four cities on the four sides. Indra and the three other Lokapālas are the lords of these cities. The Sun God comes out from their top and circumambulating Meru, goes there again.

The whole year is his Cakram, circle of circuit; His path is Uttrāyaṇam and Dakṣiṇāyaṇam. Vītihotra, the son of Priyavrata is the lord of this island. He distributed the two Varṣas amongst his two sons, Ramaṇa and Dhātakī. They rule over the two Varṣas named also after them.

Like the inhabitants of the above Varṣas, the people also get powers of themselves and worship devotedly the God seated on the lotus and follow such path of the Yoga as leads them to the Brahmā Sālokyā, etc. The mantra runs thus :-- “We bow down to that One God, without a Second, of the nature of Peace, Who is the Fruit of all the Karmas, Who is the seat of illumination of Brahmā, Who is established in Unity, and Who is worshipped by all the Lokas.” Here ends the Thirteenth Chapter of the Eighth Book on the description of the remaining Dvīpas in the Mahāpurāṇam Śrī Mad Devī Bhāgavatam, of 18,000 verses, by Maharṣi Veda Vyāsa.