Live the Bhāgavatam · SB 5.20.7
Sthāna· The universe in orderIslands and Their Surrounding Oceans
“Plakṣadvīpa is surrounded by an ocean of sugarcane juice, equal in breadth to the island itself. Similarly, there is then another island — Sālmalīdvīpa — twice as broad as Plakṣadvīpa [400,000 yojanas, or 3,200,000 miles] and surrounded by an equally broad body of water called Surāsāgara, the ocean that tastes like liquor.”
What the purport teaches
- Plakṣadvīpa is surrounded by an ocean of sugarcane juice. The ocean is equal in breadth to the island.
- Sālmalīdvīpa is twice as broad as Plakṣadvīpa, measuring 400,000 yojanas.
- Sālmalīdvīpa is surrounded by Surāsāgara, an ocean that tastes like liquor. This ocean is equal in breadth to Sālmalīdvīpa.
Try this today
Make a simple labeled sketch of the two islands and their surrounding oceans, noting the breadth relationships.
Ask yourself
How does noticing the repeated measurements help me follow this description?
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.