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COSMOS
number of dvīpas is not fixed in literature and iconography, but often about eight are mentioned or shown."
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In the middle of the disc, as also in the middle of all the continents or planets, is Mount Meru "as a navel," as the Sūtra says. The dvīpas and the oceans all have names which express something pleasant, such as rose-apple, milk, clarified butter, sugarcane juice, delight, and so on. Only the first ocean, surrounding the central disc or Jambūdvīpa, consists of salt water. Each oceans and dvīpa has twice the diameter of the previous one, i.e. 1, 2, 4 etc. times 100,000 yojanas. In the middle of each dvīpa is a circular mountain range. Jambudvipa, the middle planet, on which we live, is named after the Jambu or rose-apple tree which grows to the Northeast of Mount Meru. In that rose-apple tree nests Anadhrita, the protective bird of all the dvīpas. On Mount Meru live innumerable divine beings, and on top of the mountain is a sanctuary.
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Jambudvipa (see Figure 4), the central disc, must be our physical earth, because we know that it is surrounded by saltwater. On it are seven earthly continents, separated by mountain chains. So, including Meru there are seven mountain ranges. The seven continents are always depicted in a parallel way. On top of each of the parallel mountain chains is a lake. In the middle of each lake is an island in the form of a lotus, and on that island resides a goddess. From each of the lakes flow two rivers: one to
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