Srimad Bhagavatam — Panchama Skandha, Shloka 7
The Six Dvīpas Beyond Jambūdvīpa and the Cosmic Boundary of Lokāloka
प्लक्ष: स्वसमानेनेक्षुरसोदेनावृतो यथा तथा द्वीपोऽपि शाल्मलो द्विगुणविशाल: समानेन सुरोदेनावृत: परिवृङ्क्ते ॥ ७ ॥
plakṣaḥ sva-samānenekṣu-rasodenāvṛto yathā tathā dvīpo ’pi śālmalo dvi-guṇa-viśālaḥ samānena surodenāvṛtaḥ parivṛṅkte.
Plakṣadvīpa is surrounded by an ocean of sugarcane juice, equal in breadth to the island itself. Similarly, there is then another island — Sālmalīdvīpa — twice as broad as Plakṣadvīpa [400,000 yojanas, or 3,200,000 miles] and surrounded by an equally broad body of water called Surāsāgara, the ocean that tastes like liquor.
FAQs
This verse states that Śālmaladvīpa is twice the size of the previous island and is surrounded by an ocean of surā (liquor) of equal breadth.
He is explaining Bhū-maṇḍala—the ordered layout of the world-system—so the listener understands the Lord’s vast creation and the scriptural map of the universe.
It cultivates humility and God-consciousness by showing the immensity and design of creation, encouraging one to prioritize bhakti over material preoccupations.