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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.
Read the full guide: how to hear the Bhāgavatam ›

Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam · Text 5.20.13

Who is speaking and story frame

एवं सुरोदाद्ब‍‌हिस्तद्‌‌द्विगुण: समानेनावृतो घृतोदेन यथापूर्व: कुशद्वीपो यस्मिन् कुशस्तम्बो देवकृतस्तद्‌द्वीपाख्याकरो ज्वलन इवापर: स्वशष्परोचिषा दिशो विराजयति ॥ १३ ॥

evaṁ surodād bahis tad-dvi-guṇaḥ samānenāvṛto ghṛtodena yathā-pūrvaḥ kuśa-dvīpo yasmin kuśa-stambo deva-kṛtas tad-dvīpākhyākaro jvalana ivāparaḥ sva-śaṣpa-rociṣā diśo virājayati.

Translation

Outside the ocean of liquor is another island, known as Kuśadvīpa, which is 800,000 yojanas [6,400,000 miles] wide, twice as wide as the ocean of liquor. As Śālmalīdvīpa is surrounded by a liquor ocean, Kuśadvīpa is surrounded by an ocean of liquid ghee as broad as the island itself. On Kuśadvīpa there are clumps of kuśa grass, from which the island takes its name. This kuśa grass, which was created by the demigods by the will of the Supreme Lord, appears like a second form of fire, but with very mild and pleasing flames. Its young shoots illuminate all directions.

Read Śrīla Prabhupāda's purport on Vedabase.io
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Understand it

Three study points drawn from the translation and purport.

Kuśa Grass Shines by the Lord’s Will

  1. 1

    Kuśadvīpa is 800,000 yojanas wide and surrounded by an equally broad ocean of liquid ghee. It takes its name from its clumps of kuśa grass.

  2. 2

    The demigods created this grass by the Supreme Lord’s will. Its young shoots illuminate all directions like mild, pleasing flames.

  3. 3

    Śrīla Prabhupāda draws from this description an educated guess that the moon’s illumination also comes from mild, pleasing flames. The purport does not accept the modern theory that the moon is full of dust.

Key points from the purport
  • From the descriptions in this verse, we can make an educated guess about the nature of the flames on the moon.
  • The flames on the moon, however, unlike those on the sun, must be mild and pleasing.
  • In regard to this verse, Śrīla Viśvanātha Cakravartī Ṭhākura says, suśaṣpāṇi sukomala-śikhās teṣāṁ rociṣā: the kuśa grass illuminates all directions, but its flames are very mild and pleasing.

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 20: Studying the Structure of the Universe

From the chapter summary, the lines nearest this verse:

It is surrounded by an ocean of liquor and is 3,200,000 miles wide, twice as wide as Plakṣadvīpa. The master of this island is Yajñabāhu, one of the sons of Mahārāja Priyavrata.
Read the whole chapter summaryBack to this verse in chapter 5.20
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Word for word

Learn the Sanskrit words of the verse.

  1. evamthus
  2. surodātfrom the ocean of liquor
  3. bahiḥoutside
  4. tat-dvi-guṇaḥtwice that
  5. samānenaequal in width
  6. āvṛtaḥsurrounded
  7. ghṛta-udenaan ocean of clarified butter
  8. yathā-pūrvaḥas previously with Sālmalīdvīpa
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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

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Live it

Take one thing from this verse into your day.

Ask yourself

How does the description connect the grass’s unusual radiance with the Supreme Lord’s will?

Practice

Reread the description of the shining grass and note how its light is described as both fiery and gentle.

Live this todayKuśa Grass Shines by the Lord’s WillThis 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 5.20.13? Get an answer from the verses themselves.