Live the Bhāgavatam · SB 5.16.12
Sthāna· The universe in orderGreat Trees Stand Like Flagstaffs
“Standing like flagstaffs on the summits of these four mountains are a mango tree, a rose apple tree, a kadamba tree and a banyan tree. Those trees are calculated to have a width of 100 yojanas [800 miles] and a height of 1,100 yojanas [8,800 miles]. Their branches also spread to a radius of 1,100 yojanas.”
What the purport teaches
- A mango tree, a rose apple tree, a kadamba tree and a banyan tree stand on the four mountain summits.
- The trees stand like flagstaffs. Each is described as 100 yojanas wide and 1,100 yojanas high.
- Their branches spread to a radius of 1,100 yojanas.
Try this today
Write down the four kinds of trees and the measurements given for them.
Ask yourself
How does the comparison to flagstaffs help you picture these trees?
Carry the question through the day, then answer it in your own words before sleep.
The study points, practice and question are short summaries drawn from Śrīla Prabhupāda's translation and purport. Read the full purport to go deeper.