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160
THE INDIAN ANTIQUARY
[ MAY, 1921
इदं पुरं यःप्रषिोभ्रवं न स भवेनर। प्रीबामहे स्वया वीर पर्वाती विजबस्तव ॥ नचाव किमिसम्बमानाव प्रदृश्यते । उतरीः कुरवो घेते नान बुद्धं प्रवर्तते ॥ प्रविष्टोऽपि हि कौन्तेव नेह द्रश्यसि किम्वन । नाहि मानुषहेन शक्थमवाभिवीक्षितुम् ॥ भयेह पुरुषव्याघ्र कितिवन्यचिकीर्षसि । तत् प्रभूहि करिष्यामो वचनासव भारत | तसस्तानब्रवीवाजमार्जुनः प्रहसचिव। पार्थिवत्वं चिकीपामि धम्मेराजस्व धीमतः॥ न प्रवेक्ष्यामि वो देचं विरुद्धं बदि मानुषेः। युधिष्ठिराय यकिश्चित् करपण्वं प्रदीयताम् ।। ततो दिव्यानि वस्त्राणि दिवान्याभरणानिच।
10 क्षौमाजिनानि दिग्बानि तस्व-ते प्रबदुः करम् ।। UTTARA-KURU IN THE PURANAS: In the Vâyupurâna we have the following verses describing the countries included in Jambudvipe :
"इदं हमवतं वर्षे भारतं नाम विश्रतम् । हेमकूट पर तस्मानामा किंपुरुष स्मृतम् ।। नैषधं हेमकूटानु हरिव तदुच्यते। हरिवर्षापरं चैव मेरोच तदिलाइतम् ।। इलाइतात् परं नीलं रम्बकं माम विश्रुतम् । रम्बकाच परं येतं विश्वतं तद्धिरणमवम् ।।
हिरण्मवात् परं चापि राजवांस्तु कुरु स्मृतम्" । [This Himalayan country is well-known as Bharata. Hemakûta is next to it and the land is known as Kimpurusha, Naishadha follows next and the land is called Harivarsba. After Harivarsha and Meru follows the country known as Ilâ vrita, After Ilavpita is Nila and the country is known as Ramyaka. After Ramyuka comes Sveta, and this country is known as Hirapmaya, Spiügavân follows Hiranmaya, and the country is to be remembered as Kuru.]
T ag is here described as consisting of seven countries separated by six mountain ranges. These were believed to have stretched west to east, from sea to sea. The first country mentioned is Bharata-varsha, and it isdescribed as "Hainmavata" or Himalayan, thus indicating that
consisted of the Himalaya mountains and the cis-Himalayan regions. The next Varsha lay between Haimavata and Hemakûta and was called the country of the Kimpurushas. The third Varsha is described as Harivarsha and it lay between Hemakûta and Nishadha mountains. The fourth was Ilâvệita, and it lay to the north of Nishadha and south of the Nila ranges, and surrounded the Meru or Sumeru. North of the Nila and south of the Sveta lay the land known as Ramyaka. Between Sveta and Sringavån was Hiranmaya, and to the north of Sțiigavân lay the home of the Kurus. So the northernmost country included in Jambu-dvîpa was Kuru.
The following verse in the Brahmândapurâng places the land of the Kurus to the south of the North Sea and adjacent to its shores :
उत्सरस्व समुद्रस्व समुद्रान्तं च दक्षिणे। कुरवस्तव सह पुण्यं सिनिषेवितम् ॥
10 Mahábhárat, Sabhâparva.
