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Read one verse of Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam with its Sanskrit, word meanings, translation and study points.

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Canto 5 · The Creative Impetus · 26 chapters

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How to study this verse, in six steps

1Chant the verse. Say the Sanskrit slowly and carefully.
2Read the word meanings. Go through each Sanskrit word and its meaning.
3Find the meaning yourself. Before the translation, piece the meaning together from the words.
4Read the translation. Ask: what is the Lord teaching here, and how does it apply to my life?
5Read the purport slowly. Read it two or three times. Don't rush.
6Write down what touched you. Note the main points in your own notebook.

Read the full guide: how to hear the Bhāgavatam ›

Canto 5 · Chapter 1: The Activities of Mahārāja Priyavrata

5.1.31 5.1.33

Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam · Text 5.1.32

Sthāna· The universe in order

Who is speaking and story frame

Speaking:Śukadeva Gosvāmīsince 5.1.20inside 2 frames: Sūta Gosvāmī → the sages at NaimiṣāraṇyaŚukadeva Gosvāmī → King Parīkṣit

जम्बूप्लक्षशाल्मलिकुशक्रौञ्चशाकपुष्करसंज्ञास्तेषां परिमाणं पूर्वस्मात्पूर्वस्मादुत्तर उत्तरो यथासंख्यं द्विगुणमानेन बहि: समन्तत उपक्‍ल‍ृप्ता: ॥ ३२ ॥

jambū-plakṣa-śālmali-kuśa-krauñca-śāka-puṣkara-saṁjñās teṣāṁ parimāṇaṁ pūrvasmāt pūrvasmād uttara uttaro yathā-saṅkhyaṁ dvi-guṇa-mānena bahiḥ samantata upakḷptāḥ.

Translation

The names of the islands are Jambū, Plakṣa, Śālmali, Kuśa, Krauñca, Śāka and Puṣkara. Each island is twice as large as the one preceding it, and each is surrounded by a liquid substance, beyond which is the next island.

Read Śrīla Prabhupāda's purport on Vedabase.io

Understand it

Three study points drawn from the translation and purport.

The Seven Islands and Their Arrangement

1
The seven islands are Jambū, Plakṣa, Śālmali, Kuśa, Krauñca, Śāka and Puṣkara.
2
Each successive island is twice as large as the one before it. The description gives a definite order and proportion.
3
Each island is surrounded by a liquid substance, beyond which lies the next island. The purport notes that these oceans contain different types of liquid.

Key points from the purport

The ocean in each planetary system has a different type of liquid.
How they are situated is explained in the next verse.

Śrīla Prabhupāda's own sentences, chosen from the purport as its central points. Read the full purport on Vedabase to see them in place.

How it feels

Responsibility → Renunciation. Leadership is set beside the renounced ideal.

Chapters 1–6 of Canto 5: Priyavrata and Ṛṣabhadeva. An editorial reading of the story's mood, not the text itself. See the emotional arc

Chapter 1: The Activities of Mahārāja Priyavrata

From the chapter summary, the lines nearest this verse:

The impressions from the rims of Mahārāja Priyavrata’s chariot wheels created seven oceans and seven islands. Of the ten sons of Priyavrata, three sons named Kavi, Mahāvīra and Savana accepted sannyāsa, the fourth order of life, and the remaining seven sons became the rulers of the seven islands.

Read the whole chapter summary Back to this verse in chapter 5.1