Srimad Bhagavatam. Canto 5: The Creative Impetus

Chapter 16: A Description of Jambudvipa. Text 7

एषां मध्ये इलावृतं नामाभ्यन्तरवर्षं यस्य नाभ्यामवस्थितः सर्वतः सौवर्णःकुलगिरिराजो
मेरुर्द्वीपायामसमुन्नाहः कर्णिकाभूतः कुवलयकमलस्य मूर्धनि द्वात्रिंशत्सहस्र
योजनविततो मूले षोडशसहस्रं तावतान्तर्भूम्यां प्रविष्टः ॥७॥

eá¹£Äá¹ madhye ilÄvá¹›taá¹ nÄmÄbhyantara-vará¹£aá¹ yasya nÄbhyÄm avasthitaḥ sarvataḥ sauvarṇaḥ kula-giri-rÄjo merur dvÄ«pÄyÄma-samunnÄhaḥ karṇikÄ-bhÅ«taḥ kuvalaya-kamalasya mÅ«rdhani dvÄ-trimÅ›at sahasra-yojana-vitato mÅ«le á¹£oá¸aÅ›a-sahasraá¹ tÄvat Äntar-bhÅ«myÄá¹ praviṣṭaḥ

 eá¹£Äm - all these divisions of JambÅ«dvÄ«pa; madhye - among; ilÄvá¹›tam nÄma - named IlÄvá¹›ta-vará¹£a; abhyantara-vará¹£am - the inner division; yasya - of which; nÄbhyÄm - in the navel; avasthitaḥ - situated; sarvataḥ - entirely; sauvarṇaḥ - made of gold; kula-giri-rÄjaḥ - the most famous among famous mountains; meruḥ - Mount Meru; dvÄ«pa-ÄyÄma-samunnÄhaḥ - whose height is the same measurement as the width of JambÅ«dvÄ«pa; karṇikÄ-bhÅ«taḥ - existing as the pericarp; kuvalaya - of this planetary system; kamalasya - like a lotus flower; mÅ«rdhani - on the top; dvÄ-trimÅ›at - thirty-two; sahasra - thousand; yojana - yojanas (eight miles each; vitataḥ - expanded; mÅ«le - at the base; á¹£oá¸aÅ›a-sahasram - sixteen thousand yojanas; tÄvat - so much; Äntaḥ-bhÅ«myÄm - within the earth; praviṣṭaḥ - entered.


Text

Amidst these divisions, or vará¹£as, is the vará¹£a named IlÄvá¹›ta, which is situated in the middle of the whorl of the lotus. Within IlÄvá¹›ta-vará¹£a is Sumeru Mountain, which is made of gold. Sumeru Mountain is like the pericarp of the lotuslike BhÅ«-maṇá¸ala planetary system. The mountain’s height is the same as the width of JambÅ«dvÄ«pa — 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.

Purport