SB 5.17.6 · Srimad Bhagavatam

Devanagari

सीता तु ब्रह्मसदनात्केसराचलादिगिरिशिखरेभ्योऽधोऽध: प्रस्रवन्ती गन्धमादनमूर्धसु पतित्वान्तरेण भद्राश्ववर्षं प्राच्यां दिशि क्षारसमुद्रमभिप्रविशति ॥ ६ ॥

Verse text

sītā tu brahma-sadanāt kesarācalādi-giri-śikharebhyo ’dho ’dhaḥ prasravantī gandhamādana-mūrdhasu patitvāntareṇa bhadrāśva-varṣaṁ prācyāṁ diśi kṣāra-samudram abhipraviśati.

Synonyms

sītā — the branch known as Sītā ; tu — certainly ; brahma — sadanāt — from Brahmapurī ; kesarācala — ādi — of Kesarācala and of other great mountains ; giri — hills ; śikharebhyaḥ — from the tops ; adhaḥ adhaḥ — downward ; prasravantī — flowing ; gandhamādana — of Gandhamādana Mountain ; mūrdhasu — on the top ; patitvā — falling down ; antareṇa — within ; bhadrāśva — varṣam — the province known as Bhadrāśva ; prācyām — in the western ; diśi — direction ; kṣāra — samudram — the ocean of salt water ; abhipraviśati — enters .

Translation

The branch of the Ganges known as the Sītā flows through Brahmapurī atop Mount Meru, and from there it runs down to the nearby peaks of the Kesarācala Mountains, which stand almost as high as Mount Meru itself. These mountains are like a bunch of filaments around Mount Meru. From the Kesarācala Mountains, the Ganges falls to the peak of Gandhamādana Mountain and then flows into the land of Bhadrāśva-varṣa. Finally it reaches the ocean of salt water in the west.

Translation (Visvanatha Cakravarti Thakura)

The branch of the Ganges known as the Sītā, flowing from Brahmapurī atop Mount Meru, runs down to the nearby peaks of the Kesarācala Mountains, and from there, to the peak of Gandhamādana Mountain. [Note: This mountain range separates Bhadrāśva from Ilāvrṭa.] It then flows into the land of Bhadrāśva-varṣa. Finally it reaches the ocean of salt water in the east. Because the mountains similar to filaments are the same height as Meru, the water first (after leaving Meru) falls on the main peaks of this range. Then from those mountains, Sītā flows down, skipping over Ilāvṛta, and falls in Bhadrāśva.