Srimad Bhagavatam — Panchama Skandha, Shloka 23

Bhū-maṇḍala as a Lotus: Jambūdvīpa, Ilāvṛta, and the Meru System

Mountains, Rivers, Lakes, and Brahmapurī

Devanagari script

या ह्युपयुञ्जानानां मुखनिर्वासितो वायु: समन्ताच्छतयोजनमनुवासयति ॥ २३ ॥

Transliteration

yā hy upayuñjānānāṁ mukha-nirvāsito vāyuḥ samantāc chata-yojanam anuvāsayati.

Translation

L’air qui s’exhale de la bouche de ceux qui boivent ce miel, chargé de son parfum, embaume la contrée tout autour sur cent yojanas.

Synonyms

• yā: which
• yā: Karta (कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: yad (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग; प्रथमा; एकवचन; सम्बन्धक (relative)

• hi: indeed
• hi: Sambandha (सम्बन्ध/particle)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: hi (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; निपात (indeed/for)

• upayuñjānānām: of those who use/consume
• upayuñjānānām: Sambandha (सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: upa-√yuj (धातु) + śānac (शानच्)
• Form: वर्तमानकाले कर्तरि कृदन्त (present participle); षष्ठी; बहुवचन; पुंलिङ्ग (generic)

• mukha-nirvāsitaḥ: exhaled from the mouth
• mukha-nirvāsitaḥ: Karta (कर्ता-विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: mukha (प्रातिपदिक) + nir-√vas (धातु) + kta (क्त)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग; प्रथमा; एकवचन; क्त-प्रत्ययान्त; (समासः: मुखात् निर्वासितः = पञ्चमी-तत्पुरुष)

• vāyuḥ: wind/air
• vāyuḥ: Karta (कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: vāyu (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग; प्रथमा; एकवचन

• samantāt: all around
• samantāt: Sambandha (सम्बन्ध/adverbial)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: samantāt (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; देश/परितः-अर्थे (all around)

• śata-yojanam: a hundred yojanas (distance)
• śata-yojanam: Karma (कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: śata (संख्या) + yojana (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग; द्वितीया; एकवचन; (समासः: शतं योजनानि = द्विगु)

• anuvāsayati: perfumes/imbues
• anuvāsayati: Kriya (क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: anu-√vās (धातु)
• Form: लट्; परस्मैपद; प्रथमपुरुष; एकवचन; causative sense ‘to perfume/impregnate’ (denominative/ṇij-like usage)

FAQs

What does Srimad Bhagavatam 5.16.23 say about the fragrance spreading in Jambūdvīpa?

It states that the wind exhaled by those who partake of it carries and spreads the fragrance in all directions for a hundred yojanas.

Who is speaking this verse in the Bhagavata Purana and to whom?

Śukadeva Gosvāmī speaks this description to King Parīkṣit while narrating the sacred geography and features of Jambūdvīpa.

What is a practical takeaway from this verse for modern life?

Association leaves a “fragrance”: what we consume and whom we keep company with subtly influences our environment—so choose uplifting habits and sādhusanga to spread purity and goodness.