1 · Learn4 of 6 · 5 min

Study a Verse

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

Or browse by canto and chapter
Canto

Canto 5 · The Creative Impetus · 26 chapters

1234567891011121314151617181920212223242526

Choose a chapter to see all its verses.

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
5.16.185.16.20-21

Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam · Text 5.16.19

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

एवं जम्बूफलानामत्युच्चनिपातविशीर्णानामनस्थिप्रायाणामिभकायनिभानां रसेन जम्बू नाम नदी मेरुमन्दरशिखरादयुतयोजनादवनितले निपतन्ती दक्षिणेनात्मानं यावदिलावृतमुपस्यन्दयति ॥ १९ ॥

evaṁ jambū-phalānām atyucca-nipāta-viśīrṇānām anasthi-prāyāṇām ibha-kāya-nibhānāṁ rasena jambū nāma nadī meru-mandara-śikharād ayuta-yojanād avani-tale nipatantī dakṣiṇenātmānaṁ yāvad ilāvṛtam upasyandayati.

Translation

Similarly, the fruits of the jambū tree, which are full of pulp and have very small seeds, fall from a great height and break to pieces. Those fruits are the size of elephants, and the juice gliding from them becomes a river named Jambū-nadī. This river falls a distance of 10,000 yojanas, from the summit of Merumandara to the southern side of Ilāvṛta, and floods the entire land of Ilāvṛta with juice.

Read Śrīla Prabhupāda's purport on Vedabase.io
1

Understand it

Three study points drawn from the translation and purport.

Jambū Fruit Juice Floods Ilāvṛta

  1. 1

    The jambū fruits are the size of elephants, full of pulp and have very small seeds. Śrīla Prabhupāda invites us to imagine how much juice such fruits contain.

  2. 2

    When the fruits fall and break, their juice forms waterfalls and the river Jambū-nadī. It falls 10,000 yojanas from Merumandara to the southern side of Ilāvṛta and floods the land with juice.

  3. 3

    The purport explains that this juice also produces an immense quantity of gold.

Key points from the purport
  • We can only imagine how much juice there might be in a fruit that is the size of an elephant but has a very tiny seed.
  • Naturally the juice from the broken jambū fruits forms waterfalls and floods the entire land of Ilāvṛta.
  • That juice produces an immense quantity of gold, as will be explained in the next verses.

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

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 the southern side of the land known as Ilāvṛta-varṣa are the mountains known as Himavān, Hemakūṭa and Niṣadha, and on the northern side are the mountains Nīla, Śveta and Śṛṅga. Similarly, on the eastern and western side there are Mālyavān and Gandhamādana, two large mountains.
Read the whole chapter summaryBack to this verse in chapter 5.16
2

Word for word

Learn the Sanskrit words of the verse.

  1. evamsimilarly
  2. jambū-phalānāmof the fruits called jambū (the rose apple)
  3. ati-ucca-nipātabecause of falling from a great height
  4. viśīrṇānāmwhich are broken to pieces
  5. anasthi-prāyāṇāmhaving very small seeds
  6. ibha-kāya-nibhānāmand which are as large as the bodies of elephants
  7. rasenaby the juice
  8. jambū nāma nadīa river named Jambū-nadī
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 contrast between the enormous fruit and its tiny seed help you picture the abundance of juice?

Practice

Briefly summarize how the broken jambū fruits form the river and flood Ilāvṛta.

Live this todayJambū Fruit Juice Floods IlāvṛtaThis 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 5.16.19? Get an answer from the verses themselves.
  1. Learn
  2. Live
  3. Lead
Next in Learn · 5 of 11 · 2 minAsk the BhāgavatamBring your own question. Get an answer drawn only from the Bhāgavatam's translations, with every verse shown.Back · LearnCantos & stories