Mount Sumeru: The golden mountain
Mount Sumeru is the defining feature of Jambūdvīpa, a gigantic mountain made of solid gold that has a height of 100,000 yojanas, situated right at the middle of Ilāvṛta-varṣa, the central varṣa.
« Making Sense of the Vedic Universe, a Higher-Dimensional Reality
Mount Sumeru: The golden mountain
“Amidst these divisions, or varṣas, is the varṣa named Ilāvṛta, which is situated in the middle of the whorl of the lotus. Within Ilāvṛta-varṣa is Sumeru Mountain, which is made of gold. Sumeru Mountain is like the pericarp of the lotuslike Bhū-mandala planetary system. The mountain’s height is the same as the width of Jambūdvīpa — or, in other words, 100,000 yojanas [800,000 miles]. Of that, 16,000 yojanas [128,000 miles] are within the earth, and therefore the mountain’s height above the earth is 84,000 yojanas [672,000 miles]. The mountain’s width is 32,000 yojanas [256,000 miles] at its summit and 16,000 yojanas at its base.” (SB 5.16.7)
Mount Sumeru is the defining feature of Jambūdvīpa, a gigantic mountain made of solid gold, that has a height of 100,000 yojanas (the same as the length and breadth of the island) and the form of an inverted cone. In other words, it is upside down. The last 16,000 yojanas of the narrow part of Sumeru are set into the ground, leaving 84,000 on the visible part above-ground. Taking the visible part, Sumeru is 16,000 yojanas in width at the base and 32,000 yojanas at the summit.
As already mentioned, Mount Sumeru is situated right at the middle of Ilāvṛta-varṣa, the central tract of land. In total, Ilāvṛta is 34,000 yojanas in length and breadth, which includes the 16,000 yojanas of Sumeru plus 9,000 yojanas on each side.
Mount Sumeru is what makes Jambūdvīpa look like a lotus. The appearance of the mountain, combined with the other mountain ranges around it, also makes the island look like an arena for the performance of yajñas, reminding all the inhabitants of the real purpose of life.
“Just north of Ilāvṛta-varṣa — and going further northward, one after another — are three mountains named Nīla, Śveta and Śṛṅgavān. These mark the borders of the three varṣas named Ramyaka, Hiraṇmaya and Kuru and separate them from one another. The width of these mountains is 2,000 yojanas [16,000 miles]. Lengthwise, they extend east and west to the beaches of the ocean of salt water. Going from south to north, the length of each mountain is one tenth that of the previous mountain, but the height of them all is the same.” (SB 5.16.8)
Nīla, Śveta, and Śṛṅgavān are the three long mountain ranges north of Ilāvṛta-varṣa that create the divisions between Ramyaka-varṣa, Hiraṇmaya-varṣa, and Uttarakuru-varṣa to the north. The width of all three mountain ranges is 2,000 yojanas, and each varṣa is 9,000.
Nīla is the longest, being situated closer to the center of the circular outline of Jambūdvīpa, while Śveta is shorter by one tenth (as indicated by the word daśāṁśādhikāṁśena). Śṛṅgavān is again one-tenth shorter than Śveta, being situated closer to the border of the circle. If taken literally, these proportions suggest that Jambūdvīpa is not a perfect geometrical circle, having a general circular outline, but locally irregular boundary patterns, analogous to the uneven coastlines of terrestrial continents.
In his purport to text 5.16.8, Prabhupāda mentions three verses from the Brahmāṇḍa Purāṇa that are quoted by Madhvācārya in his comment. These verses can be translated as:
yathā bhāgavate tūktaṁ, bhauvanaṁ kośa-lakṣaṇam
tasyāvirodhato yojyam, anya-granthāntare sthitam
maṇḍode puraṇaṁ caiva, vyatyāsaṁ kṣīra-sāgare
rāhu-soma-ravīṇāṁ ca, maṇḍalād dvi-guṇoktitām
vinaiva sarvam unneyaṁ, yojanābhedato ’tra tu
“Just as the Bhāgavata Purāṇa sets forth the description of the cosmic structure of Bhū-mandala, other texts also describe different details that should be reconciled without contradiction. Thus, even if other purāṇas present different arrangements for the position of the milk ocean, or different statements about the orbital measures of Rāhu, the moon, and the sun, these variations can be understood as arising from differences in the measure of the yojana.”
This sets the general tone for studying Vedic cosmology. The words of the texts should not be taken rigidly, but rather reconciled with other scriptural references and taken as parts of a harmonious description. Above all, we should not be too attached to minor details, since in any case the structure of the universe is perceived differently by different species, according to their level of consciousness and their sensory capacities. There are also differences in the length of the yojana, which can vary in different descriptions, creating apparent contradictions.
Even in the translation of Śrīla Prabhupāda, some apparent inconsistencies can be reconciled if we take the descriptions as a whole, instead of being attached to the meaning of each particular word. SB 5.16.5 mentions that the length of Jambūdvīpa is one million yojanas, while later verses clarify it is 100,000 yojanas. Text 5.16.6 appears to describe all varṣas as having the same length, while other verses describe a more complex arrangement, and so on.
“Similarly, south of Ilāvṛta-varṣa and extending from east to west are three great mountains named (from north to south) Niṣadha, Hemakūṭa and Himālaya. Each of them is 10,000 yojanas [80,000 miles] high. They mark the boundaries of the three varṣas named Hari-varṣa, Kimpuruṣa-varṣa and Bhārata-varṣa [India].” (SB 5.16.9)
Just like there are three mountain ranges and three varṣas north of Ilāvṛta, the same arrangement repeats to the south, with three mountains (Niṣadha, Hemakūṭa, Himālaya) and three varṣas (Hari-varṣa, Kimpuruṣa-varṣa, Bhārata-varṣa).
“In the same way, west and east of Ilāvṛta-varṣa are two great mountains named Mālyavān and Gandhamādana respectively. These two mountains, which are 2,000 yojanas [16,000 miles] high, extend as far as Nīla Mountain in the north and Niṣadha in the south. They indicate the borders of Ilāvṛta-varṣa and also the varṣas known as Ketumāla and Bhadrāśva.” (SB 5.16.10)
The Mālyavān and Gandhamādana mountains mark the east and west boundaries of Ilāvṛta, separating it from Ketumāla-varṣa and Bhadrāśva-varṣa.
The Niṣadha and Nīla mountains run in parallel, from east to west, while Mālyavān and Gandhamādana run perpendicular to them, from north to south. This creates the distinctive layout of Bhū-mandala with a central square (Ilāvṛta) and the other varṣas arranged around it, with Ketumāla to the west, Bhadrāśva to the east, Ramyaka, Hiraṇmaya, and Uttarakuru to the north, and Hari, Kimpuruṣa, and Bhārata to the south.
When we hear such descriptions, mentioning mountains that are 80,000 miles high and so on, our first reaction may be to try to reason how this can be possible, creating different mental arguments to prove or disprove it. In his purport, however, Prabhupāda sets the correct mentality: we can’t properly understand even the features of our own planet, let alone other parts of the cosmos and higher-dimensional spaces we can’t even perceive. Most of us understand very little about our surroundings, even considering just mundane knowledge. The best we can do in this context is to begin with the descriptions from the scriptures and the explanations of self-realized ācāryas, and then interpret other information in that light, trying to see the universe as a manifestation of the wonderful potencies of Kṛṣṇa, instead of a dead wasteland, as concluded by modern theories.
The layout of Bhū-mandala, with a gigantic, cone-shaped mountain made of solid gold, planted into the soil upside-down in the exact middle of a set of concentric rings, doesn’t appear to make much sense following the framework of the universe appearing by chance, but it makes perfect sense in the context of an all-powerful God with an artistic sense crafting the material world as an inverted reflection of the spiritual realm.
As Prabhupāda mentions, “If we can appreciate the extensive energy of the Supreme Personality of Godhead, that will benefit us.”
“On the four sides of the great mountain known as Sumeru are four mountains — Mandara, Merumandara, Supārśva and Kumuda — which are like its belts. The length and height of these mountains are calculated to be 10,000 yojanas [80,000 miles].” (SB 5.16.11)
Sumeru is a very tall mountain, widening upward, like an inverted cone. Part of it is planted within the ground, but it has four subsidiary mountains standing as supporting braces on the four sides. These four mountains, named Mandara (to the east), Merumandara (to the south), Supārśva (to the west), and Kumuda (to the north), are similarly shaped. They are 10,000 yojanas tall and 10,000 yojanas in length. They are, however, narrower in width (shaped like canine teeth), fitting inside the space of 9,000 yojanas on each side between Sumeru and the adjacent mountains.
“Standing like flagstaffs on the summits of these four mountains are a mango tree, a rose apple tree, a kadamba tree and a banyan tree. Those trees are calculated to have a width of 100 yojanas [800 miles] and a height of 1,100 yojanas [8,800 miles]. Their branches also spread to a radius of 1,100 yojanas.” (SB 5.16.12)
There are four huge trees on top of these four mountains, like flagstaffs. The size of these trees gives an idea about the colossal scale of Bhū-mandala. Each of these trees is 1,100 yojanas tall, and the branches spread on a radius of also 1,100 yojanas. For comparison, the diameter of the earth is 7,918 miles, or 989.75 yojanas. In other words, each of these cosmic trees is larger than our planet in diameter!
“O Mahārāja Parīkṣit, best of the Bharata dynasty, between these four mountains are four huge lakes. The water of the first tastes just like milk; the water of the second, like honey; and that of the third, like sugarcane juice. The fourth lake is filled with pure water. The celestial beings such as the Siddhas, Cāraṇas and Gandharvas, who are also known as demigods, enjoy the facilities of those four lakes. Consequently they have the natural perfections of mystic yoga, such as the power to become smaller than the smallest or greater than the greatest. There are also four celestial gardens named Nandana, Caitraratha, Vaibhrājaka and Sarvatobhadra.” (SB 5.16.13-14)
Between the four supporting mountains, there are four celestial lakes and four celestial gardens, creating a luxuriant celestial environment that serves as a place of enjoyment for different classes of lower demigods, such as the Siddhas, Cāraṇas, and Gandharvas, as well as the many servants of Bhavānī, the wife of Lord Śiva.
The waters of these lakes taste, respectively, like milk, honey, sugarcane juice, and pure water. It’s not just about taste, however: these waters grant the natural perfections of mystic yoga, such as the power to become smaller than the smallest or greater than the greatest.
There is a certain hierarchy in the division of Bhū-mandala. The closer to the center, the higher the standard of living. The external parts of the structure are inhabited by human beings who have a similar standard of living as the inhabitants of Treta-yuga, while the ones who live at the very center, in Ilāvṛta-varṣa, live practically like demigods.
Bhārata-varṣa, however, is a special case, a place where souls who have exhausted the results of their past activities come to perform activities and accumulate a new set of karma that will bring them either upwards or downwards. To accommodate souls in different stages of spiritual evolution, Bhārata-varṣa goes through the sequence of Satya-yuga, Tretā-yuga, Dvāpara-yuga, and Kali-yuga.
“The best of the demigods, along with their wives, who are like ornaments of heavenly beauty, meet together and enjoy within those gardens, while their glories are sung by lesser demigods known as Gandharvas.” (SB 5.16.15)
The central region of Ilāvṛta-varṣa is generally not accessible to human beings and to the other inhabitants of Bhū-mandala. Only the ones who have the necessary qualifications can enter there. It is described that Kardama Muni and Devahūti, for example, visited these regions during their honeymoon in their flying castle. Apart from upa-devas, like the Siddhas and Cāraṇas, as well as especially qualified yogīs, like Kardama Muni, this place also serves as a resort region for the higher demigods, who come to enjoy the natural facilities there accompanied by their wives. When they do so, they are served by the Gandharvas.
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