Wednesday, October 12, 2005

Bharatvarsha


According to the Vishnu Purana,
"The country that lies north of the ocean and the south of the snowy munatains is called Bharat for there dwell the descendants of the Bharat."


In Sanskrit, as per Vishnu Purana,
Uttaram yastsamundrasya,
Himadres Haiva dakshinain
Vaisham tad Bharatam nama
Bharatiyatia santatih.



In other words, it is stated that the subcontinent of India stretches from the Himalayas to the sea. It is known as Bharatvarsha, or the land of Bharat where the descendants of Bharata live. Bharata was a king highly praised in Puranas. As per the continents of various Puranas, Bharatvarsh was a land which formed the part of a larger unit called Jambu-dvipa. Bharatvarsha on Jambu-divipa (island or the continent) was considered to be the innermost of the seven concentric islands or the continents into which the earth, as conceived in the Puranas, was supposed to have been divided.


In epics and some of the Purana, the whole Jambu-divpa is called the Bharatvarsha.
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Later addition:
Bharatvarsha is divided into nine Khandas or parts: Indra-dvipa, Kaserumat, Taamra varna Gabhastimat, Naga-dwipa, Saumya, Gandharva and Varuna. (Source: A Classical Dictionary of Hindu Mythology and Religion by John Dowson, Rupa and Co. New Delhi)

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