4) CHAPTER FOUR DESCRIPTION OF OTHER DWEEPS

Plakshdweep- Plakshdweep has an expansion of 2,00,000 Yojans. Its ruler Meghatithi had seven sons- Shanthaya, Shishir, Sukhodaya, Anand, Shiva, Kshemak and Dhruva. Those seven princes later on came to rule Plakshdweep. Hence, Plakshdweep had seven divisions named after these seven  princes.  Seven  mountains  mark  the  boundaries  of  Plakshdweep.  These  are  Gomed, Chandra, Narada, Dundubhi, Sobhak, Sumana and Vaibhraj. People of Plakshdweep live long and pleasant life. Seven rivers namely Anutapta, Shikhi, Vipasha, Tridiva, Aklama, Amrita and Sukrita flow in Plakshdweep. In all the islands from Plakshdweep to Shakhdweep, only Treta Yuga stays. Plaksh tree (Pakad) abound in Plakshdweep. Lord Vishnu is worshipped there as Soma.

Shalmaldweep- Vayushman was the ruler of Shalmaldweep. He too had seven sons- Shwet, Harit, Jibhoot, Rohit, Vaidyut, Manas and Suprabh. Hence Shalmaldweep was also divided into seven divisions named after these princes. A sea of sugarcane juice surrounds this island. Shalmaldweep has seven mountains which are the source of all the gemstones. Seven rivers flow in Shalmaldweep. These rivers contain innumerable kinds of medicinal herbs. Lord Vishnu is worshipped there in Vayu form. Because of the abundance of Semul (silk cotton) trees, this island came to be known as Shalmaldweep. A sea of wine surrounds this island.

Kushdweep- The ruler of Kushdweep, Jyotishman had seven sons. Their names were Venuman, Vairath, Lamban, Ghriti, Prabhakar and Kapila. The divisions of this island were named after them. This island too has seven mountains and seven rivers.

Lord Vishnu is worshipped here in Janardan form. Because of abundance of Kusha grass, this island is known as Kushdweep. A sea of ghee surrounds this island.

Kraunchdweep- The ruler of Kraunchdweep, Dyutiman had seven sons named Kushal, Mandak, Ushna, Peevar, Andhkarak, Muni and Dudhumbi. Hence the seven divisions of this island were named after these princes. This island too has seven mountains and seven main rivers with hundreds of small rivers and tributaries. Lord Vishnu is worshipped here in Rudra form through Yagyas. A sea of whey surrounds this island.

Shakhdweep- The ruler of Shakhdweep Bhavya, also had seven sons named Jalad, Kumar, Sukumar, Marichak, Kutumod, Maudaki and Mahadrum. Hence the seven divisions of this island were named after these princes; this island too has seven mountains and seven holy rivers. Lord Vishnu is worshipped here in Surya form. Because of an abundance of Shakh trees, this island got its name. A sea of milk surrounds this island.

Pushkardweep- This is the largest among all the seven islands. Its ruler Savan had two sons- Mahavir and Dhataki. Hence, this island has two divisions- Mahavirkhand and Dhatakikhand. A huge mountain named Mansotra is situated at the center of this great island. Brahma stays on a huge Banyan tree in this island. A sea of sweet water surrounds this island.

Leave a Reply