Srimad Bhagavatam — Panchama Skandha, Shloka 9
Bhū-maṇḍala as a Lotus: Jambūdvīpa, Ilāvṛta, and the Meru System
Mountains, Rivers, Lakes, and Brahmapurī
एवं दक्षिणेनेलावृतं निषधो हेमकूटो हिमालय इति प्रागायता यथा नीलादयोऽयुतयोजनोत्सेधा हरिवर्षकिम्पुरुषभारतानां यथासङ्ख्यम् ॥ ९ ॥
evaṁ dakṣiṇenelāvṛtaṁ niṣadho hemakūṭo himālaya iti prāg-āyatā yathā nīlādayo ’yuta-yojanotsedhā hari-varṣa-kimpuruṣa-bhāratānāṁ yathā-saṅkhyam.
De même, au sud d’Ilāvṛta-varṣa s’étendent d’est en ouest trois grandes montagnes : Niṣadha, Hemakūṭa et Himālaya. À l’instar de Nīla et des autres, chacune s’élève à dix mille yojanas. Elles marquent, dans cet ordre, les frontières de Hari-varṣa, Kimpuruṣa-varṣa et Bhārata-varṣa.
FAQs
This verse states that to the south of Ilāvṛta-varṣa lie the Niṣadha, Hemakūṭa, and Himālaya ranges, extending east–west, each about ten thousand yojanas high, forming the borders of Hari-varṣa, Kimpuruṣa-varṣa, and Bhārata-varṣa respectively.
Śukadeva is systematically narrating the Bhāgavatam’s sacred cosmology of Jambūdvīpa—its varṣas and natural boundaries—so Parīkṣit can understand the ordered arrangement of the Lord’s creation and the place of Bhārata-varṣa within it.
By seeing the world as an organized, purposeful creation of Bhagavān, one cultivates humility and gratitude, and remembers that Bhārata-varṣa is especially meant for dharma and bhakti—encouraging a life oriented toward devotion rather than mere consumption.