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.
噢，婆罗多族之最胜者帕利克希特王！在这四山之间有四大湖：第一湖水味如乳，第二如蜜，第三如甘蔗汁，第四满是清净纯水。悉达、查罗那、乾闼婆等天众享受其福，因触及湖水而自然具足瑜伽神通。又有四座天园，名为难陀那、柴特罗罗他、毗婆罗阇迦与萨尔瓦托跋陀罗。
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.