Hindu cosmology

Telergic · Sep 15, 2014

I'm looking for references to Hindu cosmology -- especially cosmological cartography -- deeper than that in Wikipedia.

I'm particularly interested in the qualities of the seven oceans, especially the ocean of milk (Kṣīra Sāgara), the "continent" Krauncha, and the "island" Svetadvipa. Vaikuntha, the seat of Vishnu, is also of interest.

I have the possibly mistaken idea that Svetadvipa can be considered a sort of descended materialization of Vaikuntha which somehow contains the ocean of milk (you'd think an island would be in an ocean, instead of the other way around), but I have no idea how the asura/mountain Krauncha from various texts relates to Kṣīra Sāgara.

Siri Kirpal · Sep 16, 2014

Sat Nam! (literally "Truth Name"--a Sikh greeting)

Someone with a better understanding of Hindu cosmology may be by, but I would think that an "ocean of milk" would be a metaphor for the flow of nectar that goes with God consciousness. If it's not that, then it might be a metaphor similar to Homer's "wine-dark sea."

Blessings,

Siri Kirpal

snafu1056 · Sep 17, 2014

I think googling those specific terms might get you some answers. Look in google books or maybe a scholarly source like JSTOR

Telergic · Sep 17, 2014

snafu1056 said:
I think googling those specific terms might get you some answers. Look in google books or maybe a scholarly source like JSTOR

Thanks, but when I post a research question, I would like people to assume that I've already done all that. I haven't tried JSTOR yet, though: that wasn't on my list, so with no snark at all, I do appreciate that advice.

Hindu cosmology

Telergic

Overwriting

Siri Kirpal

Swan in Process

snafu1056

Telergic

Overwriting