Bhaktivedanta VedaBase: Śrīmad Bhāgavatam 5.16.24

evaḿ kumuda-nirūḍho yaḥ śatavalśo nāma vaṭas tasya skandhebhyo nīcīnāḥ payo-dadhi-madhu-ghṛta-guḍānnādy-ambara-śayyāsanābharaṇādayaḥ sarva eva kāma-dughā nadāḥ kumudāgrāt patantas tam uttareṇelāvṛtam upayojayanti

SYNONYMS

evam — thus; kumuda-nirūḍhaḥ — having grown on Kumuda Mountain; yaḥ — that; śata-valśaḥ nāma — the tree named Śatavalśa (because of having hundreds of trunks); vaṭaḥ — a banyan tree; tasya — of it; skandhebhyaḥ — from the thick branches; nīcīnāḥ — flowing down; payaḥ — milk; dadhi — yogurt; madhu — honey; ghṛta — clarified butter; guḍa — molasses; anna — food grains; ādi — and so on; ambara — clothing; śayyā — bedding; āsana — sitting places; ābharaṇa-ādayaḥ — carrying ornaments and so on; sarve — everything; eva — certainly; kāma-dughāḥ — fulfilling all desires; nadāḥ — big rivers; kumuda-agrāt — from the top of Kumuda Mountain; patantaḥ — flowing; tam — to that; uttareṇa — on the northern side; ilāvṛtam — the land known as Ilāvṛta-varṣa; upayojayanti — give happiness.

TRANSLATION

Similarly, on Kumuda Mountain there is a great banyan tree, which is called Śatavalśa because it has a hundred main branches. From those branches come many roots, from which many rivers are flowing. These rivers flow down from the top of the mountain to the northern side of Ilāvṛta-varṣa for the benefit of those who live there. Because of these flowing rivers, all the people have ample supplies of milk, yogurt, honey, clarified butter [ghee], molasses, food grains, clothes, bedding, sitting places and ornaments. All the objects they desire are sufficiently supplied for their prosperity, and therefore they are very happy.

PURPORT

The prosperity of humanity does not depend on a demoniac civilization that has no culture and no knowledge but has only gigantic skyscrapers and huge automobiles always rushing down the highways. The products of nature are sufficient. When there is a profuse supply of milk, yogurt, honey, food grains, ghee, molasses, dhotis, saris, bedding, sitting places and ornaments, the residents are actually opulent. When a profuse supply of water from the river inundates the land, all these things can be produced, and there will not be scarcity. This all depends, however, on the performance of sacrifice as described in the Vedic literature.

annād bhavanti bhūtāni

parjanyād anna-sambhavaḥ

yajñād bhavati parjanyo

yajñaḥ karma-samudbhavaḥ

"All living bodies subsist on food grains, which are produced from rains. Rains are produced by performance of yajña [sacrifice], and yajña is born of prescribed duties." These are the prescriptions given in Bhagavad-gītā (3.14). If people follow these principles in full Kṛṣṇa consciousness, human society will be prosperous, and they will be happy both in this life and in the next.

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His Divine Grace A. C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupāda, Founder Ācārya of the International Society for Krishna Consciousness