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

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Canto

Canto 5 · The Creative Impetus · 26 chapters

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Choose a chapter to see all its verses.

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 16: A Description of Jambūdvīpa

5.16.22 5.16.24

Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam · Text 5.16.23

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

या ह्युपयुञ्जानानां मुखनिर्वासितो वायु: समन्ताच्छतयोजनमनुवासयति ॥ २३ ॥

yā hy upayuñjānānāṁ mukha-nirvāsito vāyuḥ samantāc chata-yojanam anuvāsayati.

Translation

The air carrying the scent from the mouths of those who drink that honey perfumes the land for a hundred yojanas around.

Read this verse on Vedabase.io

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

Understand it

Three study points drawn from the translation and purport.

Honey’s Fragrance Spreads Far

1
The verse describes the fragrance carried from the mouths of those who drink that honey.
2
The air carries this scent throughout the surrounding land.
3
The fragrance perfumes the land for a hundred yojanas 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

Chapter 16: A Description of Jambūdvīpa

From the chapter summary, the lines nearest this verse:

On the side of Supārśva Mountain is a kadamba tree with streams of honey flowing from its hollows, and on Kumuda Mountain there is a banyan tree named Śatavalśa, from whose roots flow rivers containing milk, yogurt and many other desirable things. Surrounding Sumeru Mountain like filaments of the whorl of a lotus are twenty mountain ranges such as Kuraṅga, Kurara, Kusumbha, Vaikaṅka and Trikūṭa.

Read the whole chapter summary Back to this verse in chapter 5.16

Word for word

Learn the Sanskrit words of the verse.

yāḥwhich (those flows of honey)
hiindeed
upayuñjānānāmof those who drink
mukha-nirvāsitaḥ vāyuḥthe air emanating from the mouths
samantātall around
śata-yojanamup to one hundred yojanas (eight hundred miles)
anuvāsayatimakes sweetly flavored

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.

Live it

Take one thing from this verse into your day.

Ask yourself

What stands out to you about the reach of this honey’s fragrance?

Practice

Read the translation slowly and picture the fragrant air spreading for a hundred yojanas.

Live this todayHoney’s Fragrance Spreads FarThis 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 5.16.23? Get an answer from the verses themselves.

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