The Bhāgavatam's cosmological maps prove ancient civilization was far advanced; our duty is truth, not scientific approval.Listen — Srila Prabhupada Uvaca
Yaśodānandana: ...pattern of the Bhāgavatam and follow the description. In the Chapter Sixteen, where it is expressed that "Bhū-maṇḍala extends as far as the sun spreads its light and heat and as far as the moon and all the stars can be seen," that was the first verse. Then it describes that "The roving wheels of Mahārāja Priyavrata's chariot created seven ditches in which the seven oceans came into existence. Because of these seven oceans, which are described here..." Tamāla Kṛṣṇa: This was done before we began, by another artist. Yaśodānandana: This is the Jambūdvīpa planetary system.
The complete is the Bhū-maṇḍala. This is Jambūdvīpa. This is the salt ocean, and these various oceans here, they correspond to the oceans which are described in the Bhāgavatam in that Chapter Five, Sixteenth Chapter, second verse: "Because of these seven oceans, Bhū-maṇḍala is divided into seven islands." Then, in the third verse, it describes that this universe is the universal form of the Lord. The fourth verse describes... Śukadeva Gosvāmī says he will explain the Bhūrloka.
In the fifth verse he starts to be more precise about the Bhū-maṇḍala planetary system. It says, "It resembles a lotus flower." It has the shape of a lotus flower. "And the seven islands of Jambūdvīpa resemble the whorl of that flower." Then, "The length and breadth of that island known as Jambūdvīpa..." Tamāla Kṛṣṇa: This we did. Yaśodānandana: This one. "...which is situated in middle..." This Jambūdvīpa corresponds to this one here in this big map.
"The length and breadth of this is 100,000 yojanas." That means from its north to the south and from the west to the east it's 800,000 miles, according to this fifth verse. Tamāla Kṛṣṇa: So our map here, Śrīla Prabhupāda, one centimeter equals 2,000 yojanas. So this is twenty centimeters..., er, this is fifty centimeters, so it equals 100,000 yojanas. It also... For anyone who is counting, four of these boxes equals one centimeter.
So simply by counting this, one can understand how many yojanas each thing... This is exactly to scale. It's done very precisely to scale. Yaśodānandana: And it describes, "In Jambūdvīpa there are nine divisions of land, each with a length of 9,000 yojanas, 72,000 miles: Bhārata-varṣa, Kimpuruṣa-varṣa, Hari-varṣa, Bhadra-varṣa, Ilāvṛta-varṣa, Ketumāla-varṣa, Ramyaka-varṣa, Hiraṇmaya-varṣa, and Kuru-varṣa. There are eight mountains that mark the boundaries of these divisions and separate them nicely.
Starting with the Himalayas"—that's the first mountain—"Hemakūṭa Parvata"—second mountain—"Niṣadha Parvata"—third mountain—it goes... This... "Gandhamādana Parvata, which is the east side of Sumeru, and then Mālyavān Mountain on the west side..." Bhakti-prema: Nīla Mountain, north; Śveta mountain, next; and Śṛṅgavān Mountain, north. Yaśodānandana: Maybe you can explain that Sanskrit purport also? Read. Bhakti-prema: Dhanurvat saṁsthite jñeye dve varṣe dakṣiṇottare.
It is bow-shaped. Bhārata-varṣa is bow-shaped, and this Bhadra-varṣa also is again bow-shaped, Kuru-varṣa, again bow-shaped, and this Ketumāla-varṣa, again. So dve varṣe saṁsthite jñeye, dve varṣe dakṣiṇottare. Dīrghāṇi tatra catvāri caturasram ilāvṛtam iti dakṣiṇottare bhāratottara-kuru-varṣe catvāri kiṁpuruṣa-harivarṣa-ramyaka-hiraṇmayāni varṣāṇi.