Skanda Purana — Brahma Khanda, Shloka 44

Devanagari script

इतोऽपि दुःसहं दुःखं यत्सागरविलंघनम् । धिग्धिग्गर्जितमंभोधे धिगेतां वारिराशिताम्

Transliteration

ito'pi duḥsahaṃ duḥkhaṃ yatsāgaravilaṃghanam | dhigdhiggarjitamaṃbhodhe dhigetāṃ vārirāśitām

Translation

وأشدُّ من هذا ألماً أن نُضطرَّ إلى اجتياز المحيط. تبّاً لزئيركِ أيتها البحر! تبّاً لهذا الركام الهائل من المياه!

Word by Word

• इतः: than this / from this
• इतः: Sambandha (Comparison base/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: इतस् (अव्यय)
• Form: देशवाचक-अव्यय (ablatival adverb: ‘from here/than this’)

• अपि: even/also
• अपि: Sambandha (Discourse particle/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: अपि (अव्यय)
• Form: निपात (particle: also/even)

• दुःसहम्: hard to endure
• दुःसहम्: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: दुःसह (प्रातिपदिक; दुः + सह)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति, एकवचन; विशेषण (qualifying ‘दुःखम्’)

• दुःखम्: sorrow, suffering
• दुःखम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: दुःख (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति, एकवचन

• यत्: which
• यत्: Sambandha (Relative connector/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: यद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया-विभक्ति, एकवचन; सम्बन्धसूचक (relative)

• सागरविलङ्घनम्: crossing/overstepping the ocean
• सागरविलङ्घनम्: Karma (Apposition to ‘दुःखम्’/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: सागर-विलङ्घन (प्रातिपदिक; सागर + विलङ्घन)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया-विभक्ति, एकवचन; क्रियावाचक-नाम (act-noun)

• धिग्: shame! fie!
• धिग्: Sambandha (Exclamation/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: धिग् (अव्यय)
• Form: निन्दार्थक-निपात (interjection of censure)

• धिग्: shame!
• धिग्: Sambandha (Exclamation/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: धिग् (अव्यय)
• Form: निन्दार्थक-निपात (repetition for emphasis)

• गर्जितम्: roaring
• गर्जितम्: Karma (Object of censure/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: गर्ज् (धातु) → गर्जित (कृदन्त, क्त-प्रत्यय)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया-विभक्ति, एकवचन; ‘roaring’ (as a thing/sound)

• अम्भोधे: O ocean
• अम्भोधे: Sambodhana (Address/सम्बोधन)
• Type: Noun
• Root: अम्भोधि (प्रातिपदिक; अम्भस् + धि)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, सप्तमी-विभक्ति, एकवचन; सम्बोधनार्थे सप्तमी (vocative-like locative)

• धिग्: shame!
• धिग्: Sambandha (Exclamation/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: धिग् (अव्यय)
• Form: निन्दार्थक-निपात

• एताम्: this
• एताम्: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: एतद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति, एकवचन; निर्देशक (demonstrative)

• वारिराशिताम्: mass/heap of water
• वारिराशिताम्: Karma (Object of censure/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: वारिराशि (प्रातिपदिक; वारि + राशि)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति, एकवचन

Speaker

Rāma (contextual attribution)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Setusamudra (Sāgara)

Type: sangam

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: The ocean (addressed) and the vānaras (witnesses)

Visual Art Cues

Scene: Rāma, eyes blazing, rebukes the roaring ocean; waves rise like walls; vānaras recoil; the sky churns.

Characters & Entities

• Rāma
• Samudra/Ambhodhi (Ocean)

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Even righteous leaders may lament; the narrative uses emotion to heighten the turn toward disciplined resolve and divine support.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

The sea at Setu (Setukhaṇḍa setting) is central; the glorification emerges later through Setubandha’s sanctity.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

None; this is an outcry expressing the difficulty of the mission.