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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
5.16.115.16.13-14

Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam · Text 5.16.12

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

चतुर्ष्वेतेषु चूतजम्बूकदम्बन्यग्रोधाश्चत्वार: पादप प्रवरा: पर्वतकेतव इवाधिसहस्रयोजनोन्नाहास्तावद् विटपविततय: शतयोजनपरिणाहा: ॥ १२ ॥

caturṣv eteṣu cūta-jambū-kadamba-nyagrodhāś catvāraḥ pādapa-pravarāḥ parvata-ketava ivādhi-sahasra-yojanonnāhās tāvad viṭapa-vitatayaḥ śata-yojana-pariṇāhāḥ.

Translation

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.

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.

Great Trees Stand Like Flagstaffs

  1. 1

    A mango tree, a rose apple tree, a kadamba tree and a banyan tree stand on the four mountain summits.

  2. 2

    The trees stand like flagstaffs. Each is described as 100 yojanas wide and 1,100 yojanas high.

  3. 3

    Their branches spread to a radius of 1,100 yojanas.

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:

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. There are also lakes full of milk, honey, sugarcane juice and pure water.
Read the whole chapter summaryBack to this verse in chapter 5.16
2

Word for word

Learn the Sanskrit words of the verse.

  1. caturṣuon the four
  2. eteṣuon these mountains, beginning with Mandara
  3. cūta-jambū-kadambaof trees such as the mango, rose apple and kadamba
  4. nyagrodhāḥand the banyan tree
  5. catvāraḥfour kinds
  6. pādapa-pravarāḥthe best of trees
  7. parvata-ketavaḥthe flagstaffs on the mountains
  8. ivalike
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

How does the comparison to flagstaffs help you picture these trees?

Practice

Write down the four kinds of trees and the measurements given for them.

Live this todayGreat Trees Stand Like FlagstaffsThis 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.

Ask the BhāgavatamHave a question about SB 5.16.12? Get an answer from the verses themselves.
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