SB 5.16.22 · Srimad-Bhagavatam

Devanagari

यस्तु महाकदम्ब: सुपार्श्वनिरूढो यास्तस्य कोटरेभ्यो विनि:सृता: पञ्चायामपरिणाहा: पञ्च मधुधारा: सुपार्श्वशिखरात्पतन्त्योऽपरेणात्मानमिलावृतमनुमोदयन्ति ॥ २२ ॥

Verse text

yas tu mahā-kadambaḥ supārśva-nirūḍho yās tasya koṭarebhyo viniḥsṛtāḥ paṣcāyāma-pariṇāhāḥ paṣca madhu-dhārāḥ supārśva-śikharāt patantyo ’pareṇātmānam ilāvṛtam anumodayanti.

Synonyms

yaḥ — which ; tu — but ; mahā — kadambaḥ — the tree named Mahākadamba ; supārśva — nirūḍhaḥ — which stands on the side of the mountain known as Supārśva ; yāḥ — which ; tasya — of that ; koṭarebhyaḥ — from the hollows ; viniḥsṛtāḥ — flowing ; paṣca — five ; āyāma — vyāma, a unit of measurement of about eight feet ; pariṇāhāḥ — whose measurement ; paṣca — five ; madhu — dhārāḥ — flows of honey ; supārśva — śikharāt — from the top of Supārśva Mountain ; patantyaḥ — flowing down ; apareṇa — on the western side of Sumeru Mountain ; ātmānam — the whole of ; ilāvṛtam — Ilāvṛta-varṣa ; anumodayanti — make fragrant .

Translation

On the side of Supārśva Mountain stands a big tree called Mahākadamba, which is very celebrated. From the hollows of this tree flow five rivers of honey, each about five vyāmas wide. This flowing honey falls incessantly from the top of Supārśva Mountain and flows all around Ilāvṛta-varṣa, beginning from the western side. Thus the whole land is saturated with the pleasing fragrance.

Translation (Visvanatha Cakravarti Thakura)

Five rivers of honey, each about five vyāmas wide, which flow from the hollows of the tree called Mahākadamba growing on Supārśva Mountain fall from the top of Supārśva Mountain in the western direction and gives pleasure to itself and the whole of Ilāvṛta-varṣa. Āyāma means a vyāma. A vyāma is the space produced by extending the two arms and the fingers. The width of each river is five vyāmas. Another version has paṣca-vyāma-pariṇāhāḥ. It feels pleasure itself by hearing the praises of the people.

Purport

The distance between one hand and another when one spreads both his arms is called a vyāma. This comes to about eight feet. Thus each of the rivers was about forty feet wide, making a total of about two hundred feet.