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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
  1. 1Chant the verse. Say the Sanskrit slowly and carefully.
  2. 2Read the word meanings. Go through each Sanskrit word and its meaning.
  3. 3Find the meaning yourself. Before the translation, piece the meaning together from the words.
  4. 4Read the translation. Ask: what is the Lord teaching here, and how does it apply to my life?
  5. 5Read the purport slowly. Read it two or three times. Don't rush.
  6. 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 16: A Description of Jambūdvīpa
5.16.105.16.12

Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam · Text 5.16.11

Sthāna· The universe in order
Who is speaking and story frame
Speaking:Śukadeva Gosvāmīsince 5.16.4inside 2 frames: Sūta Gosvāmī → the sages at NaimiṣāraṇyaŚukadeva Gosvāmī → King Parīkṣit

मन्दरो मेरुमन्दर: सुपार्श्व: कुमुद इत्ययुतयोजनविस्तारोन्नाहा मेरोश्चतुर्दिशमवष्टम्भगिरय उपक्‍ल‍ृप्ता: ॥ ११ ॥

mandaro merumandaraḥ supārśvaḥ kumuda ity ayuta-yojana-vistāronnāhā meroś catur-diśam avaṣṭambha-giraya upakḷptāḥ.

Translation

On the four sides of the great mountain known as Sumeru are four mountains — Mandara, Merumandara, Supārśva and Kumuda — which are like its belts. The length and height of these mountains are calculated to be 10,000 yojanas [80,000 miles].

Read this verse on Vedabase.io

This verse has no purport; its meaning is explained by the verses around it.

1

Understand it

Three study points drawn from the translation and purport.

Four Mountains Surround Sumeru

  1. 1

    Four mountains stand on the four sides of the great mountain Sumeru.

  2. 2

    Their names are Mandara, Merumandara, Supārśva and Kumuda. They are described as being like belts around Sumeru.

  3. 3

    Their length and height are each 10,000 yojanas, or 80,000 miles.

How it feels

Smallness → Awe and reverence. A vast cosmos changes the reader's perspective.

Chapters 15–25 of Canto 5: The cosmic regions and divine worship. An editorial reading of the story's mood, not the text itself. See the emotional arc

Further reading

Chapter 16: A Description of Jambūdvīpa

From the chapter summary, the lines nearest this verse:

Surrounding Sumeru Mountain are four mountains known as Mandara, Merumandara, Supārśva and Kumuda, each 10,000 yojanas long and 10,000 yojanas high. On these four mountains there are trees 1,100 yojanas high — a mango tree, a rose apple tree, a kadamba tree and a banyan tree.
Read the whole chapter summaryBack to this verse in chapter 5.16
2

Word for word

Learn the Sanskrit words of the verse.

  1. mandaraḥthe mountain named Mandara
  2. meru-mandaraḥthe mountain named Merumandara
  3. supārśvaḥthe mountain named Supārśva
  4. kumudaḥthe mountain named Kumuda
  5. itithus
  6. ayuta-yojana-vistāra-unnāhāḥwhich measure ten thousand yojanas high and wide
  7. meroḥof Sumeru
  8. catuḥ-diśamthe four sides
  9. avaṣṭambha-girayaḥmountains that are like the belts of Sumeru
  10. upakḷptāḥsituated
3

Key ideas in this verse

The subject this verse serves and the themes it speaks of.

  • Sthāna · Planetary systems

    How is the universe arranged, and what is our right place in it? · Subject 3 of 10

Chapter themes come from the story phase this chapter belongs to.

4

Live it

Take one thing from this verse into your day.

Ask yourself

What helps you picture the arrangement of these four mountains around Sumeru?

Practice

Draw a simple sketch of Sumeru with four surrounding mountains, and list their names.

Live this todayFour Mountains Surround SumeruThis verse's lesson: one practice and one question for today

Study points are short summaries, not the translation. Confirm them in the original text and purport on Vedabase.

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