Srimad Bhagavatam — Panchama Skandha, Shloka 20
Bhū-maṇḍala as a Lotus: Jambūdvīpa, Ilāvṛta, and the Meru System
Mountains, Rivers, Lakes, and Brahmapurī
तावदुभयोरपि रोधसोर्या मृत्तिका तद्रसेनानुविध्यमाना वाय्वर्कसंयोगविपाकेन सदामरलोकाभरणं जाम्बूनदं नाम सुवर्णं भवति ॥ २० ॥ यदु ह वाव विबुधादय: सह युवतिभिर्मुकुटकटककटिसूत्राद्याभरणरूपेण खलु धारयन्ति ॥ २१ ॥
tāvad ubhayor api rodhasor yā mṛttikā tad-rasenānuvidhyamānā vāyv-arka-saṁyoga-vipākena sadāmara-lokābharaṇaṁ jāmbū-nadaṁ nāma suvarṇaṁ bhavati; yad u ha vāva vibudhādayaḥ saha yuvatibhir mukuṭa-kaṭaka-kaṭi-sūtrādy-ābharaṇa-rūpeṇa khalu dhārayanti.
Bùn đất ở cả hai bờ sông Jambū-nadī, được thấm ướt bởi dòng nước ép rồi được gió và ánh nắng làm khô, chín thành vàng gọi là Jāmbū-nada—đồ trang sức thường hằng của cõi trời. Chư thiên cùng các phu nhân trẻ của họ dùng vàng ấy làm mũ miện, vòng tay, đai lưng và nhiều trang sức khác, rồi hưởng lạc.
By the arrangement of the Supreme Personality of Godhead, the rivers on some planets produce gold on their banks. The poor inhabitants of this earth, because of their incomplete knowledge, are captivated by a so-called bhagavān who can produce a small quantity of gold. However, it is understood that in a higher planetary system in this material world, the mud on the banks of the Jambū-nadī mixes with jambū juice, reacts with the sunshine in the air, and automatically produces huge quantities of gold. Thus the men and women are decorated there by various golden ornaments, and they look very nice. Unfortunately, on earth there is such a scarcity of gold that the governments of the world try to keep it in reserve and issue paper currency. Because that currency is not backed up by gold, the paper they distribute as money is worthless, but nevertheless the people on earth are very proud of material advancement. In modern times, girls and ladies have ornaments made of plastic instead of gold, and plastic utensils are used instead of golden ones, yet people are very proud of their material wealth. Therefore the people of this age are described as mandāḥ sumanda-matayo manda-bhāgyā hy upadrutāḥ ( Bhāg. 1.1.10 ). In other words, they are extremely bad and slow to understand the opulence of the Supreme Personality of Godhead. They have been described as sumanda-matayaḥ because their conceptions are so crippled that they accept a bluffer who produces a little gold to be God. Because they have no gold in their possession, they are actually poverty-stricken, and therefore they are considered unfortunate.
FAQs
In Canto 5, Chapter 16, Śukadeva explains that clay on the riverbanks, saturated with the river’s essence and transformed by wind and sunlight, becomes a special gold called Jāmbūnada, used for ornaments in heavenly realms.
Śukadeva Gosvāmī is speaking to King Parīkṣit while describing the sacred geography and wondrous features of Jambūdvīpa.
It highlights that transformation comes through proper association and conditions—when matter is imbued with a higher essence and refined, it yields something valuable; similarly, character is refined by sādhana and uplifting influence.