The descriptions of the Puranas are neither mythical nor literal. They are, in fact, anatomical. The primary texts of Hinduism (such as the Puranas) are all microcosmic. The ancient seers philosophized on the basis of the body of the jiva. They translocated the "outside" entities into the microcosm. Specifically, they focused on the respiratory mechanism. [In this context, it is extremely surprising that nobody has yet written a book (or even a paper) on the microcosmic basis of the Puranas. There is no discussion at all. All are busy looking "outside!"]
Located at the body's midline, Mt. Meru (the trachea) is the axis mundi of the respiratory world. The external earth is translocated into the respiratory zone, in the Puranas.
According to the Bhagavata Purana, this "earth" is like a lotus and Jambudvipa is its innermost compartment. And in the centre of this "continent" is the golden mountain Meru.
In the Puranas, "Jambudvipa" is a region of the lung. "Bharatavarsa" is within this respiratory zone.
In the metaphorical framework of the Puranas, the term "river" seems to denote a flow such as the flow in the blood vessels, for instance. Therefore, we may have such "topographical" entities as venous "rivers" and "rivers" formed out of "juice!"
Located at the body's midline, Mt. Meru (the trachea) is the axis mundi of the respiratory world. The external earth is translocated into the respiratory zone, in the Puranas.
The tale of the Ganga in the Purana is not the tale of an external geographical entity but, rather, it is the tale of a (special) river-like microcosmic entity that has importance in the cardio-respiratory framework.
Ganga in the Puranas represents venous circulation. It washes away the "sins" of beings!
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