Live the Bhāgavatam · SB 5.16.7
Sthāna· The universe in orderGolden Sumeru Stands Within Ilāvṛta
“Amidst these divisions, or varṣas, is the varṣa named Ilāvṛta, which is situated in the middle of the whorl of the lotus. Within Ilāvṛta-varṣa is Sumeru Mountain, which is made of gold. Sumeru Mountain is like the pericarp of the lotuslike Bhū-maṇḍala planetary system. The mountain’s height is the same as the width of Jambūdvīpa — or, in other words, 100,000 yojanas [800,000 miles]. Of that, 16,000 yojanas [128,000 miles] are within the earth, and therefore the mountain’s height above the earth is 84,000 yojanas [672,000 miles]. The mountain’s width is 32,000 yojanas [256,000 miles] at its summit and 16,000 yojanas at its base.”
What the purport teaches
- Ilāvṛta is the central division, situated in the middle of the lotus whorl. Within it stands Sumeru Mountain, made of gold and compared to the lotus’s pericarp.
- Sumeru’s total height is given as 100,000 yojanas. Of this, 16,000 yojanas lie within the earth and 84,000 rise above it.
- The summit is 32,000 yojanas wide, while the base is 16,000 yojanas wide. Thus the described summit is twice as wide as the base.
Try this today
Sketch Sumeru with a wider summit than base, and label its above-ground and below-ground measurements.
Ask yourself
Which feature of Sumeru’s description stands out most clearly to me?
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.