Srimad Bhagavatam — Panchama Skandha, Shloka 8
Bhū-maṇḍala as a Lotus: Jambūdvīpa, Ilāvṛta, and the Meru System
Mountains, Rivers, Lakes, and Brahmapurī
उत्तरोत्तरेणेलावृतं नील: श्वेत: शृङ्गवानिति त्रयो रम्यकहिरण्मयकुरूणां वर्षाणां मर्यादागिरय: प्रागायता उभयत: क्षारोदावधयो द्विसहस्रपृथव एकैकश: पूर्वस्मात्पूर्वस्मादुत्तर उत्तरो दशांशाधिकांशेन दैर्घ्य एव ह्रसन्ति ॥ ८ ॥
uttarottareṇelāvṛtaṁ nīlaḥ śvetaḥ śṛṅgavān iti trayo ramyaka-hiraṇmaya-kurūṇāṁ varṣāṇāṁ maryādā-girayaḥ prāg-āyatā ubhayataḥ kṣārodāvadhayo dvi-sahasra-pṛthava ekaikaśaḥ pūrvasmāt pūrvasmād uttara uttaro daśāṁśādhikāṁśena dairghya eva hrasanti.
Juste au nord d’Ilāvṛta-varṣa, puis toujours plus au nord l’une après l’autre, se dressent trois montagnes : Nīla, Śveta et Śṛṅgavān. Elles sont les montagnes-frontières des varṣas Ramyaka, Hiraṇmaya et Kuru, les séparant entre eux. Chacune a deux mille yojanas de largeur et s’étend d’est en ouest jusqu’aux rivages de l’océan salé. Du sud vers le nord, la longueur de chaque montagne diminue d’un dixième par rapport à la précédente, tandis que leur hauteur demeure identique.
In this regard, Madhvācārya quotes the following verses from the Brahmāṇḍa Purāṇa:
FAQs
It states that to the north of Ilāvṛta are three boundary mountain ranges—Nīla, Śveta, and Śṛṅgavān—marking the limits of Ramyaka, Hiraṇmaya, and Kuru varṣas, each two thousand yojanas wide and progressively shorter in length toward the north.
Śukadeva explains the structure of the Lord’s universe to situate the listener in a theistic cosmos where all regions are arranged under divine order, strengthening Parīkṣit’s absorption in Bhagavān rather than worldly fear.
It cultivates humility and God-centered perspective—seeing the world as purposeful and governed—encouraging steadiness in bhakti, detachment from ego, and reverence for the Lord’s creation.