Srimad Bhagavatam — Panchama Skandha, Shloka 13
Bhū-maṇḍala as a Lotus: Jambūdvīpa, Ilāvṛta, and the Meru System
Mountains, Rivers, Lakes, and Brahmapurī
ह्रदाश्चत्वार: पयोमध्विक्षुरसमृष्टजला यदुपस्पर्शिन उपदेवगणा योगैश्वर्याणि स्वाभाविकानि भरतर्षभ धारयन्ति ॥ १३ ॥ देवोद्यानानि च भवन्ति चत्वारि नन्दनं चैत्ररथं वैभ्राजकं सर्वतोभद्रमिति ॥ १४ ॥
hradāś catvāraḥ payo-madhv-ikṣurasa-mṛṣṭa-jalā yad-upasparśina upadeva-gaṇā yogaiśvaryāṇi svābhāvikāni bharatarṣabha dhārayanti; devodyānāni ca bhavanti catvāri nandanaṁ caitrarathaṁ vaibhrājakaṁ sarvatobhadram iti.
O Mahārāja Parīkṣit, Bester der Bharatas! Zwischen diesen vier Bergen liegen vier gewaltige Seen: Das Wasser des ersten schmeckt wie Milch, das des zweiten wie Honig, das des dritten wie Zuckerrohrsaft, und der vierte ist mit reinem Wasser gefüllt. Himmlische Wesen wie Siddhas, Cāraṇas und Gandharvas genießen sie; durch ihre Berührung besitzen sie von Natur aus die Vollkommenheiten des Yoga. Dort befinden sich auch vier himmlische Gärten: Nandana, Caitraratha, Vaibhrājaka und Sarvatobhadra.
FAQs
In Canto 5, Chapter 16, Śukadeva describes four extraordinary lakes whose waters resemble milk, honey, sugarcane juice, and pure water; contact with them supports natural yogic opulences in celestial beings called Upadevas.
Śukadeva is narrating the sacred geography and structure of Jambūdvīpa as part of the Fifth Canto’s cosmological teachings, giving Parīkṣit a devotional, scriptural map of the universe and its divine arrangements.
The verse highlights that true powers and refinement come from divine association and purity; for practitioners today, it points to seeking upliftment through sādhana and sacred contact (śravaṇa, kīrtana, tīrtha, and saintly company) rather than chasing siddhis.