This is what makes this description particularly interesting: the antiquity of the Bhagavata Purana, which testifies to a deep knowledge of the world’s geography several millennia before the age of exploration. This raises really strong questions about the sources of such ancient information: were these descriptions entirely mythological, or did they reflect a deeper, perhaps lost, understanding of the layout of the Earth?
While the known world was for most of its time confined to the immediate surroundings of ancient civilizations, the Bhagavata Purana shows a world spanning several continents—which is extraordinary. It invites us to immediately consider the reach of ancient knowledge and the ways in which that knowledge was preserved and passed down through generations.
Reading this ancient text, we travel through time to contemplate the mythology, geography and twists and turns of this eternal quest to understand our world. The Bhagavata Purana is a showcase of the immortal human spirit of curiosity and the restless pursuit of knowledge.
It is one of the eighteen Mahapuranas of Hinduism, a revered text that elaborates on various aspects of cosmology, mythology and spirituality. Among many interesting topics, it describes the seven continents called Sapta-dvipa: Jambu, Plaksha, Shalamal, Kusha, Krouncha, Shaka and Pushkara.
It describes seven continents called Sapta-dvipa: Jambu, Plaksha, Śalmal, Kusa, Krouncha, Saka, and Pushkara.
(1) Jambu – It is the central continent of the seven continents surrounding Mount Meru, so named either because of the Jambu trees it contains or because of a huge Jambu tree on Mount Meru which appears as a standard to the whole continent. Sec. S.M. Ali, op. cit., Chapters V-VII on Jambudvipa.
(2) Sakya can be identified with Malaya, Siam, Indochina and South China or the south-eastern corner of the landmass whose centre was Jambudweepa.
(3) Kush included Iran, Iraq, and the southwestern corner of the land around Meru.
(4) Plaksha is identified with the Mediterranean basin as the Plaksha or Pakhra tree is found in the Mediterranean.
Characteristic of the warm temperate or Mediterranean lands, identified with Greece and surrounding lands.
(5) Pushkar covered the whole of Japan, Manchuria and south-eastern Siberia.
(6) Shalmala – The tropical part of Africa bordering on the Indian Ocean on the west. It included Madagasagara – the Zenj of the Arab and Persian geographers, the Harina of the Puranas and the Sankhadvipa of some other writers.
(7) The Kroonka is represented by the Black Sea basin.
(8) Peninsulas: (1) Bharata (2) Kimpurusha (3) Harivarsha (4) Ramyaka (5) Hiranmayya (6) Uttarakuru (7) Ilavrita (8) Bhadrasva and (9) Ketumala. According to PE page 342 there are eight long mountain ranges which divide Jambu Dvipa into nine countries which look like the nine petals of a lotus flower. The two countries at the north and south ends (Bhadra and Ketumala) are bow shaped. Of the remaining seven, four are longer than the rest; the middle one is called Ilavrita.
Work, Profit and God: Bhagavad Gita Revelation – Chapter 4, Verse 15
Symbolism and explanation
The description of these continents in the Bhagavata Purana smacks of symbolism, which should not be taken literally but reflects the world view and cosmology of ancient India. Each continent was assigned a tree, an ocean and a presiding deity, symbolizing different aspects of life and the universe.
For example, the central position of Jambudweepa and its relation to Mount Meru signify the importance of cosmic structure. The various oceans separating the continents are made up of different substances such as sugarcane juice, wine and milk, which symbolize different qualities and elements in nature.
Comparison with modern geography
It was exciting to see the concept of seven continents explained in the Bhagavata Purana, but it is important to understand that such descriptions are mythological and symbolic, not geographical. This bears little resemblance to the modern concept of continents: Asia, Africa, North America, South America, Antarctica, Europe, and Australia.
Thus the whole concept of Sapta-dvipa reflects the spiritual and philosophical ideas of the time, which lay great emphasis on the interconnectedness of life and the universe. It is also an expression of the rich imagination and cultural heritage of the ancient Indian civilization.
