Shloka 9
Uttarā-diśā Māhātmya — Suparṇa’s Praise of the Northern Quarter
Suparṇa–Gālava Saṃvāda
अतन्र मूलं हिमवतो मन्दरं याति शाश्वतम् । अपि वर्षसहस्त्रेण न चास्यान्तो5थधिगम्यते,इसी दिशामें हिमालयका मूलभाग सदा मन्दराचलतक फैलकर उसका स्पर्श करता है। सहसीरों वर्षोमें भी इसका अन्त पाना असम्भव है
atantra-mūlaṃ himavato mandaraṃ yāti śāśvatam | api varṣa-sahasreṇa na cāsyānto 'dhigamyate ||
L’Himalaya, dont la base enracinée est ferme et sans rupture, s’étend à jamais jusqu’au mont Mandara. Même en mille ans, on n’en saurait découvrir l’extrémité.
युपर्ण उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse teaches humility before vast and enduring realities: some things—like the extent of the Himalaya—are beyond complete human measurement, so one should avoid arrogance in claims of total knowledge or control.
The speaker uses a striking geographical image—Himalaya extending to Mandara and remaining immeasurable even over a thousand years—to emphasize enormity and the difficulty of reaching an ultimate limit, strengthening a broader point being made in the discourse.