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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 ›
Canto 5 · Chapter 20: Studying the Structure of the Universe
5.20.75.20.9

Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam · Text 5.20.8

Sthāna· The universe in order
Who is speaking and story frame
Speaking:Śukadeva Gosvāmīsince 5.20.1inside 2 frames: Sūta Gosvāmī → the sages at NaimiṣāraṇyaŚukadeva Gosvāmī → King Parīkṣit

यत्र ह वै शाल्मली प्लक्षायामा यस्यां वाव किल निलयमाहुर्भगवतश्छन्द: स्तुत: पतत्‍त्रिराजस्य सा द्वीपहूतये उपलक्ष्यते ॥ ८ ॥

yatra ha vai śālmalī plakṣāyāmā yasyāṁ vāva kila nilayam āhur bhagavataś chandaḥ-stutaḥ patattri-rājasya sā dvīpa-hūtaye upalakṣyate.

Translation

On Sālmalīdvīpa there is a śālmalī tree, from which the island takes its name. That tree is as broad and tall as the plakṣa tree — in other words 100 yojanas [800 miles] broad and 1,100 yojanas [8,800 miles] tall. Learned scholars say that this gigantic tree is the residence of Garuḍa, the king of all birds and carrier of Lord Viṣṇu. In that tree, Garuḍa offers Lord Viṣṇu his Vedic prayers.

Read this verse on Vedabase.io

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

1

Understand it

Three study points drawn from the translation and purport.

Garuḍa Offers Prayers to Lord Viṣṇu

  1. 1

    Sālmalīdvīpa takes its name from its śālmalī tree. The tree is 100 yojanas broad and 1,100 yojanas tall.

  2. 2

    Learned scholars say that this tree is the residence of Garuḍa, the king of all birds and carrier of Lord Viṣṇu.

  3. 3

    In that tree, Garuḍa offers Lord Viṣṇu his Vedic prayers. His residence is thus also a place of worship.

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:

The width of this island is 6,400,000 miles, or, in other words, twice the width of Sālmalīdvīpa. The fourth island, Krauñcadvīpa, which is surrounded by an ocean of milk, is 12,800,000 miles wide and is also divided, like the others, into seven regions, each with a large mountain and a large river.
Read the whole chapter summaryBack to this verse in chapter 5.20
2

Word for word

Learn the Sanskrit words of the verse.

  1. yatrawhere
  2. ha vaicertainly
  3. śālmalīa śālmalī tree
  4. plakṣa-āyāmāas big as the plakṣa tree (one hundred yojanas broad and eleven hundred yojanas high)
  5. yasyāmin which
  6. vāva kilaindeed
  7. nilayamrest or living place
  8. āhuḥthey say
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

  • Rāja-dharma · Devotional leadership

    Serving and protecting through responsibility. · Theme in SB 5.20

    In this verse: “king”

  • Bhakti · Devotion and loving service

    How devotion reorganizes desire and action. · Theme in SB 5.20

    In this verse: “worship”

4

Live it

Take one thing from this verse into your day.

Ask yourself

How can I make prayer a regular part of life where I live?

Practice

Choose a quiet place at home and offer a brief prayer to Lord Viṣṇu today.

Live this todayGaruḍa Offers Prayers to Lord ViṣṇuThis 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 5.20.8? Get an answer from the verses themselves.
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