hich
compose the earth, the sun, moon, and stars. At first, these atoms were
all in disorder. For the purpose of reducing them to order, Brahm
created what is called the great mundane egg. Into this egg he himself
entered, under the form, of Brumha, taking with him all these atoms.
After remaining in this egg four thousand three hundred millions of
years, to arrange these atoms, he burst its shell and came out, with a
thousand heads, a thousand eyes, and a thousand arms. With him, he
brought out all those harmonized atoms, which, when separated, produced
this beautiful universe that we see above and around us.

The universe, as it came from the mundane egg, is generally divided into
fourteen worlds: seven inferior or lower worlds, and seven superior or
upper worlds. The seven lower worlds are filled with all kinds of wicked
and loathsome creatures. Our earth, which is the first of the upper
worlds, it is said, is flat. The following figure will give you some
idea of it.

[Illustration: Concentric circles with labels on each from outermost to
innermost: Sea of Sweet Water. Sea of Milk. Sea of Sour Curds. Sea of
Clarified Butter. Sea of Spirituous Liquors. Sea of Sugar Cane Juice.
Sea of Salt Water. Earth.]

That part of the earth which is inhabited consists of seven circular
islands, or continents each of which is surrounded by a different ocean.
The island in the centre, where we dwell, is surrounded by a sea of salt
water, the second island is surrounded by a sea of sugar-cane juice, the
third island is surrounded by a sea of spirituous liquors, the fourth is
surrounded by a sea of clarified butter, the fifth is surrounded by a
sea of sour curds, the sixth is surrounded by a sea of milk, the seventh
is surrounded by a sea of sweet water.

In all the worlds above ours are mansions where the gods reside. In the
third is the heaven of Indra. This is the heaven to which it is said the
widow goes, after she has burned herself to death on the funeral pile of
her husband Its palaces are of the purest gold. And such are the
quantities of diamonds, and jasper, and sapphire, and emerald, and all
manner of precious stones there, that it shines with a brightness
superior to that of twelve thousand suns. Its streets are of the
clearest crystal, fringed with gold. In the seventh, or the highest of
the upper worlds, is the heaven where Brumha chiefly resides. This far
exceeds all the other heavens in point of beauty.

In the in