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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

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

5.16.8 5.16.10

Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam · Text 5.16.9

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 दक्षिणेनेलावृतं निषधो हेमकूटो हिमालय इति प्रागायता यथा

नीलादयोऽयुतयोजनोत्सेधा हरिवर्षकिम्पुरुषभारतानां यथासङ्ख्यम् ॥ ९ ॥

evaṁ dakṣiṇenelāvṛtaṁ niṣadho hemakūṭo himālaya iti prāg-āyatā yathā nīlādayo ’yuta-yojanotsedhā hari-varṣa-kimpuruṣa-bhāratānāṁ yathā-saṅkhyam.

Translation

Similarly, south of Ilāvṛta-varṣa and extending from east to west are three great mountains named (from north to south) Niṣadha, Hemakūṭa and Himālaya. Each of them is 10,000 yojanas [80,000 miles] high. They mark the boundaries of the three varṣas named Hari-varṣa, Kimpuruṣa-varṣa and Bhārata-varṣa [India].

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.

Three Mountains Mark the Southern Regions

1
South of Ilāvṛta-varṣa are Niṣadha, Hemakūṭa and Himālaya, in that north-to-south order.
2
Each mountain extends from east to west and is 10,000 yojanas, or 80,000 miles, high.
3
They mark the boundaries of Hari-varṣa, Kimpuruṣa-varṣa and Bhārata-varṣa respectively.

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 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 summary Back to this verse in chapter 5.16

Word for word

Learn the Sanskrit words of the verse.

evamthus
dakṣiṇenaby degrees to the southern side
ilāvṛtamof Ilāvṛta-varṣa
niṣadhaḥ hema-kūṭaḥ himālayaḥthree mountains named Niṣadha, Hemakūṭa and Himālaya
itithus
prāk-āyatāḥextended to the east
yathājust as
nīla-ādayaḥthe mountains headed by Nīla

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 simple arrangement would help me remember these mountains and regions?

Practice

Make three pairs today: Niṣadha—Hari-varṣa, Hemakūṭa—Kimpuruṣa-varṣa, and Himālaya—Bhārata-varṣa.

Live this todayThree Mountains Mark the Southern RegionsThis 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.

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