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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.
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Canto 5 · Chapter 16: A Description of Jambūdvīpa
5.16.175.16.19

Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam · Text 5.16.18

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

यदुपजोषणाद्भ‍वान्या अनुचरीणां पुण्यजनवधूनामवयवस्पर्शसुगन्धवातो दशयोजनं समन्तादनुवासयति ॥ १८ ॥

yad-upajoṣaṇād bhavānyā anucarīṇāṁ puṇya-jana-vadhūnām avayava-sparśa-sugandha-vāto daśa-yojanaṁ samantād anuvāsayati.

Translation

The pious wives of the Yakṣas act as personal maidservants to assist Bhavānī, the wife of Lord Śiva. Because they drink the water of the river Aruṇodā, their bodies become fragrant, and as the air carries away that fragrance, it perfumes the entire atmosphere for eighty miles around.

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.

Aruṇodā’s Fragrance Spreads Through the Air

  1. 1

    The pious wives of the Yakṣas serve as personal maidservants of Bhavānī, the wife of Lord Śiva.

  2. 2

    By drinking the water of the Aruṇodā River, their bodies become fragrant.

  3. 3

    The air carries this fragrance and perfumes the atmosphere for eighty miles around.

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:

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

Word for word

Learn the Sanskrit words of the verse.

  1. yatof which
  2. upajoṣaṇātbecause of using the fragrant water
  3. bhavānyāḥof Bhavānī, the wife of Lord Śiva
  4. anucarīṇāmof attendant maidservants
  5. puṇya-jana-vadhūnāmwho are wives of the most pious Yakṣas
  6. avayavaof the bodily limbs
  7. sparśafrom contact
  8. sugandha-vātaḥthe wind, which becomes fragrant
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 sequence connects drinking the river’s water with the fragrance of the surrounding atmosphere?

Practice

Recall the three details in order: drinking the water, fragrant bodies and fragrance carried by the air.

Live this todayAruṇodā’s Fragrance Spreads Through the AirThis 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 5.16.18? Get an answer from the verses themselves.
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