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PURANAS AND THEIR CONTRIBUTION

PART 49 page 1 of 3 pages

The island of Plaksha is surrounded by the ocean of sugarcane juice (water sweet as
sugarcane juice). I have described this island previously. Now I will describe the island of
Salmala. The Lord of the island is a great hero who has a well-built body. There are seven
sub-islands there and their names are as follows:
(1) Svetha (the white island);
(2) Haritha (the green island);
(3) Jimutha (the cloudy island);
(4) Rohitha (the red island);
(5) Vaidutha (the sparkling island);
(6) Manasa (the mental island);
(7) Suprabha (the island of good brilliance).
These are symbols of the seven tissues of man. The island Salmala is watered by the
sugarcane ocean that covers double the area of the inhabited land. In all directions it is
surrounded by water. Here also you can notice seven mountains, the abodes of
gemstones. They cause rains and have seven flowing rivers. Their names are as follows:
(1) Kumuda (the lotus river);
(2) Unnara (the river of standing people);
(3) Balehaka (the river of drinking clouds);
(4) Drona (the tub of water), where you find great herbs growing;
(5) Kanka (the river of ravens);
(6) Mahisha (the river of buffaloes);
(7) Kakudman (the river of bulls).
The rivers sublending them are also seven in number. Their names are as follows:
(1) Yoni (birthplace);
(2) Toya (the flow of waters);
(3) Vitrushna (the quencher of thirst);
(4) Chandra (the moon river);
(5) Shukla (the white river);
(6) Vimochani (the liberator);
(7) Nivriti (the river of detachment).
All these rivers bestow peace. All these seven islands contain people of the four classes.
The colours of the four classes are: dark brown, red, yellow and black. The Brahmanas,
Kshatriyas, Vaisyas and Sudras worship Lord Vishnu, the Lord of all as the All-Soul in all.
All ritualists visualize him in the form of air, pervading the rituals. (Here the Lord is
identified with and worshipped as the respiration and the five pulsations are the Pranas).
All Devas offer their presence here. (The creative intelligences and the forces of nature
make their appearance manifest through breath and the five pulsations). The prominent
vegetation of the island is Salmali, which represents detachment. This island is
surrounded on all sides by the ocean of divine waters. Salmal trees, equally distributed,
abound there.
Then there is the Kusha island (the island of the sacred grass), which has double the area
of the previous island. It is also surrounded by the divine waters. The seven sons of
Text of discourses by Dr. E. Krishnamachaya, originally published in MY LIGHT, the magazine of
the World Teacher Trust, India

INSTITUTE FOR PLANETARY SYNTHESIS

P.O.Box 128, CH-1211 Geneva 20, Switzerland
Tel. +41-022-733.88.76, Fax +41-022-733.66.49, E-mail: ipsbox@ipsgeneva.com, http://www.ipsgeneva.com

PURANAS AND THEIR CONTRIBUTION

PART 49 page 2 of 3 pages

Jyotishman live there and their names are as follows:

(1) Udbhida (the sprouting one);
(2) Venuman (the one with a bamboo);
(3) Sviradha (the one with liberty);
(4) Lambana (the hanging one);
(5) Dhruti (the one who sustains);
(6) Prabhakara (the one who makes the rays);
(7) Kapila (the dark brown one).
These are the names of the different types of hair that grow on the body. This is the
reason why the island is called the island of the sacred grass, meaning Prana, which
distributes the sprouting of hair through the pores. In this kingdom the human beings live
along with demons and giants. (This means that the human beings at the level of the
pores of the skin live with the human nature mixed with the limitations of the undesirable
mental traits.) They also live mixed up with Devas, Gandharvas, Yakshas and
Kimpurushas, etc. (It means that the human beings have desirable traits mixed up with
undesirable ones.) There also you find the four classes of people absorbed in their own
work as worship. The Brahmins are those who live self-controlled. The Kshatriyas are
those who are brilliant with valour. The Vaisiyas are those who gather. The Sudras are
those who are monotonous in their work. They do their work according to their Scripture
and their position is consumed by their work (on physical plane work consumes energy).
On that island they worship the Lord in the form of Brahma, the Creator. They perform the
rituals and spend their position in the form of the result of their work.
There are seven hills on this island also and their names are as follows:
(1) Vidruma (the coral mountain);
(2) Hemasaila (the mount of gold);
(3) Dyutiman (the mount of brilliance);
(4) Pushpavan (the mount full of flowers);
(5) Kusesaya (the one that lies on the sacred grass);
(6) Hari (the green one);
(7) Mandhara (the mountain of churning).
Seven are the rivers that flow down the seven hills and here are their names in order:
(1) Dhuta Papa (the washer of sins);
(2) Siva (the auspicious one);
(3) Pavithra (the pure one, or the river of purity);
(4) Sumathi (good mind);
(5) Vidyut (the sparkling river);
(6) Ambha (always full of water);
(7) Mahi (the widest river).
All these rivers wash off sins. Apart from these, there are thousands of little mountains and
small rivers. The Kusha Dvipa is so named after the sacred grass that grows there.
The Krauncha island surrounded by waters like ghee, by an ocean called the ocean of
ghee, has double the size of Kusha Dvipa. There live the seven sons of Dyutiman. The
Text of discourses by Dr. E. Krishnamachaya, originally published in MY LIGHT, the magazine of
the World Teacher Trust, India

INSTITUTE FOR PLANETARY SYNTHESIS

P.O.Box 128, CH-1211 Geneva 20, Switzerland
Tel. +41-022-733.88.76, Fax +41-022-733.66.49, E-mail: ipsbox@ipsgeneva.com, http://www.ipsgeneva.com

PURANAS AND THEIR CONTRIBUTION

PART 49 page 3 of 3 pages

seven sub-islands are named after the seven sons. They are as follows:
(1) Kusala (the skillful ones);
(2) Manuga (one who follows Manu);
(3) Ushna (the heated one);
(4) Pivara (the sturdy one);
(5) Utthana (the upgoing one);
(6) Muni (the one with meditative silence);
(7) Dundhubhi (the one with a trumpet).
Also there are there seven hills that are delightful to the mind and are peopled with Devas
and Gandharvas. Here are the names of the seven hills:
(1) Krouncha (the one with cracked parts);
(2) Vamana (the dwarf hill);
(3) Ardhakaraka (the wealth-giver);
(4) Ratnasaila (the mountain of gemstones);
(5) Swahini (the moving mountain);
(6) Haya Sannibha (the horse-shaped mountain);
(7) Divavrita (the mountain of daylight).
Besides there is the Pundarika (the tiger hill) and Dundubhi (the trumpet mountain), which
has twice the size of the previous one. These islands and the mountains thereon are very
beautiful to live in and so it is with the sub-islands and their mountains. People live
unimpeded there along with groups of gods. The Brahmanas are called Pushkaras (the
well fed ones). The Kshatriyas are plentiful, the Vaisyas are rich and the Sudras are full of
corn. The rivers from which they drink are seven in number and their names are as
follows:
(1) Gowri (the yellow river);
(2) Himadyuti (the one with white lotuses);
(3) Sandhya (the twilight river);
(4) Rathri (the night river);
(5) Manojava (the river of mindspeed);
(6) Khyati (the river of fame);
(7) Pundarika (the river of lotuses).
There the Lord is worshipped with rituals by the four classes and He exists in the form of
Rudra.

Text of discourses by Dr. E. Krishnamachaya, originally published in MY LIGHT, the magazine of

the World Teacher Trust, India