Pṛthvī
From Hindupedia, the Hindu Encyclopedia
By Swami Harshananda
Pṛthvī literally means ‘daughter of the king Pṛthu;’ ‘that whose quality is hardness or solidity’.
This word has generally been used in two senses:
- The element earth being one of the five fundamental elements involved in creation
- The earth in which we live
The latter is said to comprise seven dvīpas or islands known as:
- Jambudvīpa
- Plakṣadvīpa
- Sālmalīdvīpa
- Kuśadvīpa
- Krauñcadvīpa
- Sākadvīpa
- Puṣkaradvīpa
All these seven dvīpas are surrounded by different oceans like Lavaṇasamudra.[1] Bhāratavarṣa[2] is in the Jambudvīpa.
References[edit]
- The Concise Encyclopedia of Hinduism, Swami Harshananda, Ram Krishna Math, Bangalore