________________ JAIN CONCEPTS OF GEOGRAPHY AND COSMOLOGY 233 bounded by Mount Himvan in the North and by Lavan sea on the remaining three sides. Ganga and Sindhu are its two main rivers. They rise from the eastern and western ends of Lake Padma on Mt. Himvan. Initially they flow towards east and west respectively. Thereafter they turn southward and flow parallel to each other spanning almost the entire width of Bharat Kshetra. At the end Ganga turns east and meets Lavan sea at its eastern coast; Sindhu turns west and meets the said sea at its western coast. Both of them have a width of 6.25 Yojans at the roots and 62.5 Yojans at the mouths. Five major rivers, viz. Yamuna, Sarayu, Adi, Kosi and Mahi meet Ganga; other five, viz. Shatadru, Vitasta, Vibhasa, Iravati and Chandrabhaga meet Sindhu. There is a 25 Yojans high Mount Vaitadhya lying in the middle of Bharat Kshetra spanning its entire East-West distance and divides it into two parts. There are two caves called Tamisra and Khandprapata. They are 12 Yojans wide and penetrate the entire width of Vaitadhya. Ganga and Sindhu pass through those caves. Vaitadhya mountain range together with Ganga and Sindhu divides Bharat Kshetra into six parts, which are termed as Khands. Let us now relate these details to the present knowledge of geography. Mt. Himvan could be the same as Himalayan range and the Lavan sea could comprise the Arabian Sea, Bay of Bengal and the Indian Ocean. Perhaps our ancients did not have concept of Southern India and seem to have ignored the existence thereof. Moreover they seem to have guessed that Lavan sea could be encircling the entire Jamboodweep. Of the five rivers meeting Ganga, Yamuna, Sarayu and Kosi are known; Mahi could be the same as river Maha, while it is hard to identify adi. Of those meeting Sindhu, Shatadru, Vitasta and Vibhasa have been identified as Sutlaj, Jhelum and Beas. The Jain Education International For Private & Personal Use Only www.jainelibrary.org
