Text 2]
The Structure of the Universe
273
TRANSLATION
The great sage Śukadeva Gosvāmī said: Hereafter I shall describe the dimensions, characteristics and forms of the six islands beginning with the island of Plakṣa.
TEXT 2
जम्बूद्वीपोऽयं यावत्प्रमाणविस्तारस्त्वता क्षारोदधिना परिवेष्टितो यथा मेरुर्जम्बवाख्येन लवणोदधिरपि ततो द्विगुणविशालेन प्रक्षाख्येन परिक्षिप्तो यथा परिखा बाह्योपवनेन । प्रक्षो जम्बूप्रमाणो द्वीपाख्याकरो हिरण्य उत्थितो यत्राग्निरुपास्ते सप्तजिह्वस्तस्याधिपतिः प्रियव्रतात्मज इष्मजिह्वः स्वं द्वीपं सप्तवर्षाणि विभज्य सप्तवर्षनामभ्य आत्मजेभ्य आकल्प्य स्वयमात्मयोगेनोपरराम ॥ २ ॥
jambūdvīpo 'yam yāvat-pramāṇa-vistāras tāvatā kṣārodadhinā pariveṣṭito yathā merur jambū-ākhyena lavaṇodadhir api tato dvi-guṇa-viśālena plakṣākhyena parikṣipto yathā parikhā bāhyopavanena. plakṣo jambū-pramāṇo dvīpākhyākaro hiraṇmaya utthito yatrāgnir upāste sapta-jihvas tasyādhipatiḥ priyavratātmaja idhmajihvaḥ svam dvīpam sapta-varṣāṇi vibhajya sapta-varṣa-nāmabhya ātmajebhya ākalayya svayam ātma-yogenopararāma.
jambū-dvīpaḥ—Jambūdvīpa, the island named Jambū; ayam—this; yāvat-pramāṇa-vistāraḥ—as much as the measure of its width, namely 100,000 yojanas (one yojana equals eight miles); tāvatā—so much; kṣāra-udadhinā—by the ocean of salt water; pariveṣṭitaḥ—surrounded; yathā—just as; meruḥ—Sumeru Mountain; jambū-ākhyena—by the island named Jambū; lavaṇa-udadhiḥ—the ocean of salt water; api—certainly; tataḥ—thereafter; dvi-guṇa-viśālena—which is twice as wide; plakṣa-ākhyena—by the island named Plakṣa; parikṣiptaḥ—surrounded; yathā—like; parikhā—a moat; bāhya—external; upavanena—by a gardenlike forest; plakṣaḥ—a plakṣa tree; jambū-pramāṇaḥ—having the height of the jambū tree; dvīpa-ākhyā-karaḥ—