Srimad Bhagavatam — Panchama Skandha, Shloka 26
Bhū-maṇḍala as a Lotus: Jambūdvīpa, Ilāvṛta, and the Meru System
Mountains, Rivers, Lakes, and Brahmapurī
कुरङ्गकुररकुसुम्भवैकङ्कत्रिकूटशिशिरपतङ्गरुचकनिषधशिनीवासकपिलशङ्खवैदूर्यजारुधिहंसऋषभनागकालञ्जरनारदादयो विंशतिगिरयो मेरो: कर्णिकाया इव केसरभूता मूलदेशे परित उपक्लृप्ता: ॥ २६ ॥
kuraṅga-kurara-kusumbha-vaikaṅka-trikūṭa-śiśira-pataṅga-rucaka-niṣadha-śinīvāsa-kapila-śaṅkha-vaidūrya-jārudhi-haṁsa-ṛṣabha-nāga-kālañjara-nāradādayo viṁśati-girayo meroḥ karṇikāyā iva kesara-bhūtā mūla-deśe parita upakḷptāḥ.
حول سفح جبل ميرو تنتظم جبالٌ أخرى في جمالٍ كخيوط السَّداة حول قلب زهرة اللوتس. وأسماؤها: كورنغا، كورارا، كوسومبها، فايكانكا، تريكوطا، شيشيرا، بتانغا، روتشاكا، نيشادا، سينيڤاسا، كابيلا، شانخا، فايدوريا، جارودهي، هَمسا، رِشبها، ناغا، كالانجرا، ونارادا.
FAQs
In Canto 5, Chapter 16, this verse states that twenty prominent mountains are arranged around the base of Mount Meru, compared to the filaments around the central whorl of a lotus.
Śukadeva uses the lotus image to convey order and sacred design: Meru is like the lotus center, and the surrounding mountains are like filaments, emphasizing purposeful cosmic arrangement under the Lord’s governance.
It trains the mind to see the universe as structured and meaningful, encouraging humility and devotion—shifting attention from mere material geography to remembrance of the Supreme Lord who sustains all worlds.