*SKANDHA V. CHAP. 16.*
Said Parikshit: -- "Thou hast given the bare outline of these regions of
the universe which are lighted by the sun and where the moon and the
luminous starry host are also seen.
"Thou hast hereby mentioned the seven oceans and the seven Dvipas, but
thou hast not given the details thereof." Suka replied: --
Imagine the Bhu-mandala or the Earth chain to be the pericarp of a
lotus. Imagine there are seven sheaths immersed in it -- the seven
Dvipas. The central sheath is Jambu Dvipa. It is Niyut Yojanas in area
(Niyut= 1,000,000 But Sridhara Svami here explains Niyuta as meaning one
laksha or 100,000. So according to Sridhara the area of Jambu Dvipa is
800,000 miles). Jambu Dvipa is round like the lotus leaf.
There are nine Varshas in Jambu Dvipa, each nine thousand Yojanas in
area completely divided by eight mountain ranges. (Bhadrasva and
Ketumala form exceptions, for they extend over 34,000 Yojanas. Some take
nine thousand Yojanas to be the expanse between the Nila and Nishadha
ranges. The Vayu Purana describes the position thus: -- Two Varshas are
situated like two bows north and south. Four are placed longways.
Ilavrita is as it were with four petals. _Sridhara_. This gives 7 x 9000
+ 34000 = 97000).