Srimad Bhagavatam. Canto 5: The Creative Impetus

Chapter 20: Studying the Structure of the Universe. Text 2

जम्बूद्वीपोऽयं यावत्प्रमाणविस्तारस्तावता क्षारोदधिना परिवेष्टितो यथा
मेरुर्जम्ब्वाख्येन लवणोदधिरपि ततो द्विगुणविशालेन प्लक्षाख्येन परिक्षिप्तो
यथा परिखा बाह्योपवनेन । प्लक्षो जम्बूप्रमाणो द्वीपाख्याकरो हिरण्मय
उत्थितो यत्राग्निरुपास्ते सप्तजिह्वस्तस्याधिपतिः प्रियव्रतात्मज इध्मजिह्वः स्वं
द्वीपं सप्तवर्षाणि विभज्य सप्तवर्षनामभ्य आत्मजेभ्य आकलय्य स्वयमात्मयोगेनो
परराम ॥२॥

jambÅ«dvÄ«po 'yaá¹ yÄvat-pramÄṇa-vistÄras tÄvatÄ ká¹£ÄrodadhinÄ pariveṣṭito yathÄ merur jambv-Äkhyena lavaṇodadhir api tato dvi-guṇa-viÅ›Älena plaká¹£Äkhyena pariká¹£ipto yathÄ parikhÄ bÄhyopavanena; plaká¹£o jambÅ«-pramÄṇo dvÄ«pÄkhyÄkaro hiraṇmaya utthito yatrÄgnir upÄste sapta-jihvas tasyÄdhipatiḥ priyavratÄtmaja idhmajihvaḥ svaá¹ dvÄ«paá¹ sapta-vará¹£Äṇi vibhajya sapta-vará¹£a-nÄmabhya Ätmajebhya Äkalayya svayam Ätma-yogenopararÄma

 jambÅ«-dvÄ«paḥ - JambÅ«dvÄ«pa, the island named JambÅ«; ayam - this; yÄvat-pramÄṇa-vistÄraḥ - as much as the measure of its width, namely 100,000 yojanas (one yojana equals eight miles); tÄvatÄ - so much; ká¹£Ära-udadhinÄ - by the ocean of salt water; pariveṣṭitaḥ - surrounded; yathÄ - just as; meruḥ - Sumeru Mountain; jambÅ«-Äkhyena - by the island named JambÅ«; lavaṇa-udadhiḥ - the ocean of salt water; api - certainly; tataḥ - thereafter; dvi-guṇa-viÅ›Älena - which is twice as wide; plaká¹£a-Äkhyena - by the island named Plaká¹£a; pariká¹£iptaḥ - surrounded; yathÄ - like; parikhÄ - a moat; bÄhya - external; upavanena - by a gardenlike forest; plaká¹£aḥ - a plaká¹£a tree; jambÅ«-pramÄṇaḥ - having the height of the jambÅ« tree; dvÄ«pa-ÄkhyÄ-karaḥ - causing the name of the island; hiraṇmayaḥ - magnificently splendorous; utthitaḥ - rising; yatra - where; agniḥ - a fire; upÄste - is situated; sapta-jihvaḥ - having seven flames; tasya - of that island; adhipatiḥ - the king or master; priyavrata-Ätmajaḥ - the son of King Priyavrata; idhma-jihvaḥ - named Idhmajihva; svam - own; dvÄ«pam - island; sapta - seven; vará¹£Äṇi - tracts of land; vibhajya - dividing into; sapta-vará¹£a-nÄmabhyaḥ - for whom the seven tracts of land were named; Ätmajebhyaḥ - to his own sons; Äkalayya - offering; svayam - personally; Ätma-yogena - by the devotional service of the Lord; upararÄma - he retired from all material activities.


Text

As Sumeru Mountain is surrounded by JambÅ«dvÄ«pa, JambÅ«dvÄ«pa is also surrounded by an ocean of salt water. The breadth of JambÅ«dvÄ«pa is 100,000 yojanas [800,000 miles], and the breadth of the saltwater ocean is the same. As a moat around a fort is sometimes surrounded by gardenlike forest, the saltwater ocean surrounding JambÅ«dvÄ«pa is itself surrounded by Plaká¹£advÄ«pa. The breadth of Plaká¹£advÄ«pa is twice that of the saltwater ocean — in other words 200,000 yojanas [1,600,000 miles]. On Plaká¹£advÄ«pa there is a tree shining like gold and as tall as the jambÅ« tree on JambÅ«dvÄ«pa. At its root is a fire with seven flames. It is because this tree is a plaká¹£a tree that the island is called Plaká¹£advÄ«pa. Plaká¹£advÄ«pa was governed by Idhmajihva, one of the sons of MahÄrÄja Priyavrata. He endowed the seven islands with the names of his seven sons, divided the islands among the sons, and then retired from active life to engage in the devotional service of the Lord.

Purport