Trishashti Shalaka Purusha Caritra
by Helen M. Johnson | 1931 | 742,503 words
This page describes Description of Meru which is the twenty-second part of chapter III of the English translation of the Ajitanatha-caritra, contained within the 鈥淭rishashti Shalaka Purusha Caritra鈥�: a massive Jain narrative relgious text composed by Hemacandra in the 12th century. Ajitanatha in jainism is the second Tirthankara (Jina) and one of the 63 illustrious beings or worthy persons.
Go directly to: Footnotes.
Part 22: Description of Meru
In the interior of 闯补尘产奴诲惫墨辫补 Meru, golden, round like a sth膩la,[1] is buried 1,000 yojanas in the ground at its base, is 99,000 yojanas high, and 10,000 yojanas in diameter at the surface of the earth. At the top it is 1,000 yojanas in diameter. It is in three parts, and its body is divided by the three worlds. Now, the first part of Sumeru, composed of pure earth, stone, diamond, and gravel is 1,000 yojanas high. The second is 63,000 yojanas high, its ground composed of gold, crystal, 补峁卥补, and silver. The third part is 36,000 yojanas and is composed of slabs of gold.[2] Its gleaming peak is made of cat鈥檚 eye. Its height is 40 yojanas, its diameter at the base is 12 yojanas, 8 at the middle and 4 at the top.
At the base of Meru is a grove 叠丑补诲谤补艣腻濒补 resembling a surrounding wall. At 500 yojanas from 叠丑补诲谤补艣腻濒补, on a terrace, is Nandana, 500 yojanas wide. At 62,500 yojanas on the second terrace, the grove Saumanasa is the same. At 36,000 yojanas above the grove Saumanasa is Sundara on the third terrace. On the peak of Meru is the garden P膩峁囜笉aka in the shape of a circle, 494 yojanas wide.
Footnotes and references:
[1]:
Sth膩la is non-committal, but Meru is considered the shape of a truncated cone.
[2]:
These three divisions are not those made by the three worlds. The first one corresponds to the part in the lower world, but the other two do not correspond to the division of the middle and upper worlds.