Skanda Purana — Mahesvara Khanda, Shloka 24

Devanagari script

मेषस्य द्वीपिभिर्भीमैः कुञ्जरैः कालनेमिनः । पर्वतं वै समारूढो निश्चित्य विधृतं गजैः

Transliteration

meṣasya dvīpibhirbhīmaiḥ kuñjaraiḥ kālaneminaḥ | parvataṃ vai samārūḍho niścitya vidhṛtaṃ gajaiḥ

Translation

Meṣas Wagen wurde von furchterregenden Leoparden gezogen; Kālanemis Wagen von Elefanten. Nachdem er sich entschlossen hatte, bestieg er einen Berg, der von Elefanten gefestigt und gehalten wurde.

Word by Word

• मेषस्य: of a ram
• मेषस्य: Sambandha (Genitive/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: मेष (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, षष्ठी-विभक्ति (6th/Genitive), एकवचन

• द्वीपिभिः: with tigers
• द्वीपिभिः: Karana (Instrument/करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: द्वीपिन् (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, तृतीया-विभक्ति (3rd/Instrumental), बहुवचन

• भीमैः: terrible, fearsome
• भीमैः: Karana (Instrument/करण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: भीम (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, तृतीया-विभक्ति (3rd/Instrumental), बहुवचन; विशेषण (द्वीपिभिः/कुञ्जरैः)

• कुञ्जरैः: with elephants
• कुञ्जरैः: Karana (Instrument/करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: कुञ्जर (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, तृतीया-विभक्ति (3rd/Instrumental), बहुवचन

• कालनेमिनः: of Kālanemi
• कालनेमिनः: Sambandha (Genitive/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: कालनेमि (प्रातिपदिक; घटकौ: काल + नेमि)
• Form: कर्मधारय-समास (कालः नेमिः यस्य/काल-नेमि), पुंलिङ्ग, षष्ठी-विभक्ति (6th/Genitive), एकवचन

• पर्वतम्: mountain
• पर्वतम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: पर्वत (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति (2nd/Accusative), एकवचन

• वै: indeed
• वै: Sambandha (Particle/निपात)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: वै (अव्यय)
• Form: निश्चयार्थक/खल्वर्थक अव्यय (emphatic particle)

• समारूढः: having mounted, mounted upon
• समारूढः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: सम्-आ-रुह् (धातु) + क्त (कृदन्त-प्रत्यय)
• Form: भूतकर्मणि कृदन्त (past passive participle), पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन; कर्तरि प्रयोगे ‘mounted’ अर्थे; विशेषण (कालनेमिनः)

• निश्चित्य: having ascertained/decided
• निश्चित्य: Kriya-viseshana (Adverbial/क्रियाविशेषण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: नि-√चि (धातु) + क्त्वा (अव्यय-कृदन्त)
• Form: क्त्वान्त अव्यय (gerund), पूर्वकालिक क्रिया

• विधृतम्: held up, supported
• विधृतम्: Karma (Object-qualifier/कर्म-विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: वि-√धृ (धातु) + क्त (कृदन्त-प्रत्यय)
• Form: भूतकर्मणि कृदन्त (past passive participle), नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया, एकवचन; विशेषण (पर्वतम्)

• गजैः: by elephants
• गजैः: Karana (Instrument/करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: गज (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, तृतीया-विभक्ति (3rd/Instrumental), बहुवचन

Speaker

Lomaharṣaṇa (Sūta), narrating to the sages

Tirtha Mahatmya

Type: peak

Visual Art Cues

Scene: Meṣa’s chariot drawn by terrifying leopards; Kālanemi’s chariot drawn by elephants. A commander ascends a mountain that is steadied and ‘fixed’ by elephants bracing it—an impossible engineering of war.

Characters & Entities

• Meṣa
• Kālanemi
• Dvīpin (leopard/panther)
• Kuñjara/Gaja (elephant)
• Parvata (mountain)

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

The narrative portrays the heavy, earth-shaking momentum of adharma; yet even mountains and elephants remain within the governance of divine law.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

No named tīrtha is identified; “mountain” is used as battle imagery rather than a pilgrimage reference in this verse.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

None.