Copyright © r The Bhaktivedanta Book Trust International, Inc.His Divine Grace A. C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupāda, Founder Ācārya of the International Society for Krishna Consciousness
| Canto 5: The Creative Impetus | Chapter 19: A Description of the Island of Jambūdvīpa |
Bhaktivedanta VedaBase: Śrīmad Bhāgavatam 5.19.29-30
jambūdvīpasya ca rājann upadvīpān ashtau haika upadiśanti sagarātmajair aśvānveshana imām mahīm parito nikhanadbhir upakalpitān; tad yathā svarnaprasthaś candraśukla āvartano ramanako mandaraharinah pāńcajanyah simhalo lańketi
SYNONYMS
śrī-śukah uvāca — Śrī Śukadeva Gosvāmī continued to speak; jambūdvīpasya — of the island known as Jambūdvīpa; ca — also; rājan — O King; upadvīpān ashtau — eight subordinate islands; ha — certainly; eke — some; upadiśanti — learned scholars describe; sagara-ātma-jaih — by the sons of Mahārāja Sagara; aśva-anveshane — while trying to find their lost horse; imām — this; mahīm — tract of land; paritah — all around; nikhanadbhih — digging; upakalpitān — created; tat — that; yathā — as follows; svarna-prasthah — Svarnaprastha; candra-śuklah — Candraśukla; āvartanah — Āvartana; ramanakah — Ramanaka; mandara-harinah — Mandara-harina; pāńcajanyah — Pāńcajanya; simhalah — Simhala; lańkā — Lańkā; iti — thus.
TRANSLATION
Śrī Śukadeva Gosvāmī said: My dear King, in the opinion of some learned scholars, eight smaller islands surround Jambūdvīpa. When the sons of Mahārāja Sagara were searching all over the world for their lost horse, they dug up the earth, and in this way eight adjoining islands came into existence. The names of these islands are Svarnaprastha, Candraśukla, Āvartana, Ramanaka, Mandara-harina, Pāńcajanya, Simhala and Lańkā.
PURPORT
In the Kūrma Purāna there is this statement about the desires of the demigods:
anadhikārino devāh
vāńchanty ātma-vimokshārtha-
mudrekārthe 'dhikārinah
Although the demigods are situated in exalted positions in the heavenly planets, they nevertheless desire to descend to the land of Bhārata-varsha on the planet earth. This indicates that even the demigods are unfit to reside in Bhārata-varsha. Therefore if persons already born in Bhāratavarsha live like cats and dogs, not taking full advantage of their birth in this land, they are certainly unfortunate.
Copyright © r The Bhaktivedanta Book Trust International, Inc.
His Divine Grace A. C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupāda, Founder Ācārya of the International Society for Krishna Consciousness