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.
Ô Mahārāja Parīkṣit, le meilleur des Bharata ! Entre ces quatre montagnes se trouvent quatre vastes lacs : l’eau du premier a le goût du lait, celle du second celui du miel, celle du troisième celui du jus de canne, et le quatrième est rempli d’une eau parfaitement pure. Des êtres célestes tels que les Siddhas, Cāraṇas et Gandharvas en jouissent ; par leur contact, ils possèdent naturellement les perfections du yoga. On y trouve aussi quatre jardins célestes : Nandana, Caitraratha, Vaibhrājaka et 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.