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According to the ancient Indian tradition, the earth is divided by seven 顿惫墨辫补蝉 (Islands). In the 惭补丑腻产丑腻谤补迟补, 鈥渆arth is conceived of as a lotus flower with the 惭补丑腻尘别谤耻 at its centre鈥�^[1]. Because, mount Meru is considered to be the locus of these 顿惫墨辫补蝉.

Some believe that 鈥渢here are four 顿惫墨辫补蝉 on the four sides of Meru. These four 顿惫墨辫补蝉 (Islands) are:鈥�

1. 叠丑补诲谤腻蝉惫补,
2. 闯补尘产奴诲惫墨辫补,
3. 碍别迟耻尘腻濒腻 and
4. Uttarakuru.

Lying to east, south, west and north respectively.^[2].

In the 痴腻测耻辫耻谤腻峁嘺 we can also found the similar views^[3].

In this the those concepts of 顿惫墨辫补蝉 (islands) gave the concepts about the seven island theory i.e.

1. 闯补尘产奴诲惫墨辫补,
2. 笔濒腻办峁�a,
3. 艢腻濒尘补濒墨,
4. 碍耻艣补,
5. 碍谤补耻帽肠补,
6. 艢补办补 and
7. 笔耻峁�k补谤补.

There 闯补尘产奴诲惫墨辫补 gave the most prominent place, which is situated in the centre of them.

This geographical division of earth given by most of the 笔耻谤腻峁嘺蝉 and in the K膩vyam墨m膩峁僺膩, 搁腻箩补艣别办丑补谤补 followed it by saying:

鈥�jamvudv墨pa岣� sarvamadhye tata艣ca plak峁Ｄ� n膩mn膩 艣膩lmalo'ta岣� ku 艣o'ta岣� |
办谤补耻帽肠补岣� 艣腻办补岣� 辫耻峁�k补谤补艣肠别迟测补颈迟丑补峁Ｄ佱箖 产腻丑测腻 产腻丑测腻 sa峁僺thitirma峁囜笉al墨bhi岣� 触鈥�

- K膩vyam墨m膩峁僺膩 of 搁腻箩补艣别办丑补谤补: Ch-XVII, Pp- 90

These seven 顿惫墨辫补蝉 (Islands) are surrounded by the seven oceans i.e.

1. 碍峁Ｄ乺补-samudra, the ocean of salt-water,
2. 滨办峁�u谤补蝉补-samudra, the ocean of sugarcane juice,
3. 厂耻谤腻-samudra, the ocean of wine,
4. Sarpis-samudra, the oceans of ghee,
5. Dadhi-samudra, the oceans of milk,
6. 笔补测补岣�-samudra, the oceans of fresh water and
7. 厂惫腻诲耻惫腻谤颈-蝉补尘耻诲谤补, the oceans of curd.

This view of 笔耻谤腻峁嘺蝉 also followed by 搁腻箩补艣别办丑补谤补 in his K膩vyam墨m膩峁僺膩 as says:

鈥�lava峁噊 rasamaya岣� surodaka岣� s膩rpi峁�o dadhijala岣� payapay膩岣� |
sv膩duv膩rirudadhi艣ca saptamast膩npar墨tya ta ime vyavasthit膩岣� || 鈥�

- K膩vyam墨m膩峁僺膩 of 搁腻箩补艣别办丑补谤补: Ch-XVII, Pp- 91

However 搁腻箩补艣别办丑补谤补 added here the different views of ancient times for the matter of oceans by:

鈥�eka ev膩ya峁� 濒腻惫补峁嘺岣� 蝉补尘耻诲谤补岣� ityeke 触鈥�^[4]

There is only one ocean, which is full of salt water. Thus says:

鈥�dv墨p膩nya峁ａ弓膩da艣膩tra k峁�itirapi navabhirvi啷僺tat膩
  kh膩峁単akha峁囜笉aireko'mbhodhirdigantapravis峁泃asalila岣� pr膩jyametatsur膩jyam |
kasminnapy膩jike livyatikaravijayop膩rjite v墨rava(ca)rye
  cakre pu帽jena d膩tu峁� tadidamiti dhiy膩 vedhase ya艣cukopa || 鈥�

- K膩vyam墨m膩峁僺膩 of 搁腻箩补艣别办丑补谤补: Ch-XVII, Pp- 91

Some other says about the concepts of three oceans and says:

鈥�腻办补尘辫颈迟补办峁�i迟颈产丑峁泃腻 尘补丑补迟腻 nik膩ma峁� hel膩bhibh奴tajaladhitritayena yasya |
v墨rye峁嘺 sa峁僪atibhid膩 vihatonnatena kalp膩ntak膩lavis峁泃a岣� pavano'nucakre || 鈥�

- K膩vyam墨m膩峁僺膩 of 搁腻箩补艣别办丑补谤补: Ch-XVII, Pp- 91

There are others hold the four oceans theory and thus also says:

鈥�肠补迟耻岣� 蝉补尘耻诲谤补惫别濒辞谤尘颈谤补肠颈迟补颈办腻惫补濒墨濒补迟补尘 |
merumapyadrimulla峁単hya yasya kv膩pi 驳补迟补峁� 测补艣补岣� || 鈥�

- K膩vyam墨m膩峁僺膩 of 搁腻箩补艣别办丑补谤补: Ch-XVII, Pp- 91

Then 搁腻箩补艣别办丑补谤补 approves the all the different interpretations of different poets and says that they are of diverse imports in their arguments. And those who believe in the existence of seven seas are also not non-technical, it also have 艢腻蝉迟谤颈肠 (scientific) basis.

C.f.

鈥�bhinn膩bhipr膩yatay膩 sarvamupapannam鈥� iti 测腻测腻惫补谤墨测补岣� |
saptasamudr墨v膩dinastu 艣膩str膩danapet膩 eva |

- K膩vyam墨m膩峁僺膩 of 搁腻箩补艣别办丑补谤补: Ch-XVII, Pp- 91

However 搁腻箩补艣别办丑补谤补 stands on the seven-ocean theory and gives it鈥檚 on the 艢腻蝉迟谤颈肠 (scientific) support. C.f.

鈥�腻驳补蝉迟测补肠耻濒耻办辞肠肠丑颈峁ａ弓补蝉补辫迟补惫腻谤颈诲丑颈惫腻谤颈峁噄 |
muhurtta峁� ke 艣aven膩pi tadanta岣� p奴tar膩yitama ( ? ) || 鈥�

- K膩vyam墨m膩峁僺膩 of 搁腻箩补艣别办丑补谤补: Ch-XVII, Pp- 91

And also says in the K膩vyam墨m膩峁僺膩 as:

鈥�madhyejamb奴dv墨pam膩dyo gir墨峁嚹佱箖 merurn膩mn膩 办腻帽肠补苍补岣� 艣补颈濒补谤腻箩补岣� |
yo m奴rtt膩(yo'maty膩)n膩mau峁�adh墨n膩峁� 苍颈诲丑腻苍补峁� ya艣c膩v膩sa岣� sarvav峁沶d膩rak膩峁嚹乵 || 鈥�

- K膩vyam墨m膩峁僺膩 of 搁腻箩补艣别办丑补谤补: Ch-XVII, Pp- 91

This view also seen in the 痴颈峁ａ箛耻辫耻谤腻峁嘺 and 搁腻箩补艣别办丑补谤补 probabally influenced by it.^[5] The mount-Meru is the chief mountain around the country 滨濒腻惫峁泃补惫补谤峁�a and the mountains 狈墨濒补, 艢惫别迟补 and 艢峁涐箙驳补惫腻苍 lay north of it. There are also three countries Ramyaka, 贬颈谤补峁噈补测补 and North Kurava at the northern side of the mound-Meru. In the south of mount-Meru there are three mountains i.e. 狈颈峁�a诲丑补, 贬别尘补办奴峁璦 and 贬颈尘补惫腻苍 and three countries i.e. 贬补谤颈惫补谤峁�a, 碍颈尘辫耻谤耻峁�a and 叠丑腻谤补迟补惫补谤峁�a. Thus the Jambudvipa seems to the present south Asia. The modern Geographers S. M. Ali also recognized that, these types of identification of ancient theories are true if we compare it with the physical map of central Asia. There he also try to identify the mountains of 艢峁涐箙驳补惫腻苍, 艢vata, 狈墨濒补, 狈颈峁�a诲丑补, 贬别尘补办奴峁璦 and 贬颈尘补惫腻苍 as represent on the 鈥�Kara tau-kirrghiz-ketman鈥� chain, 鈥�Nura Tau Turkistan-Atbashi鈥� chain, 鈥�尝腻诲腻办丑补-碍补颈濒补艣岣�-罢谤补苍蝉-贬颈尘腻濒补测腻苍鈥� chain and the Great 鈥�贬颈尘腻濒补测腻苍 谤补苍驳别鈥� etc.^[6]

Footnotes and references:

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[1]:

Pande, Syam Narayan, Geographical Horizon of the Mahabharata, Bharata Bharati, Oriental Publishers and Book Sellers, Varanasi, 1980, Pp-4

[2]:

Pande, Syam Narayan, Geographical Horizon of the Mahabharata, Bharata Bharati, Oriental Publishers and Book Sellers, Varanasi, 1980, Pp-4

[3]:

痴腻测耻辫耻谤腻峁嘺 Ed. Pandit Sriram Sastry Acarya (in 2 vols); Samskriti Samsthan, Barely, 1969, xxxiv.46).

[4]:

K膩vyam墨m膩峁僺膩 of 搁腻箩补艣别办丑补谤补: Pp- 91

[5]:

痴颈峁ａ箛耻辫耻谤腻峁嘺, Ed. H.H. Wilson, Punthi Pustak, Calcutta, 1972

[6]:

S.M. Ali, The Geography of the Puranas, Peoples Publishing House, N. Delhi, 1966, Pp-53