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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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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

5.16.27 5.16.29

Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam · Text 5.16.28

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

मेरोर्मूर्धनि भगवत आत्मयोनेर्मध्यत उपक्‍ल‍ृप्तां पुरीमयुतयोजनसाहस्रीं समचतुरस्रां शातकौम्भीं वदन्ति ॥ २८ ॥

meror mūrdhani bhagavata ātma-yoner madhyata upakḷptāṁ purīm ayuta-yojana-sāhasrīṁ sama-caturasrāṁ śātakaumbhīṁ vadanti.

Translation

In the middle of the summit of Meru is the township of Lord Brahmā. Each of its four sides is calculated to extend for ten million yojanas [eighty million miles]. It is made entirely of gold, and therefore learned scholars and sages call it Śātakaumbhī.

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.

Brahmā’s Golden Township Crowns Meru

1
Lord Brahmā’s township stands in the middle of Meru’s summit.
2
Each of its four sides extends for ten million yojanas, or eighty million miles.
3
The township is made entirely of gold. Learned scholars and sages therefore call it Śātakaumbhī.

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 summit of Mount Sumeru is Brahmapurī, the residence of Lord Brahmā. Each of its four sides is 10,000 yojanas long.

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

Word for word

Learn the Sanskrit words of the verse.

meroḥof Sumeru Mountain
mūrdhanion the head
bhagavataḥof the most powerful being
ātma-yoneḥof Lord Brahmā
madhyataḥin the middle
upakḷptāmsituated
purīmthe great township
ayuta-yojanaten thousand yojanas

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

Which detail most helps you remember the description of Brahmā’s township?

Practice

Write one sentence linking Śātakaumbhī with its golden construction and its location on Meru.

Live this todayBrahmā’s Golden Township Crowns MeruThis 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 5.16.28? 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