Shloka 118
The Origin of the Daṇḍaka Forest and Rāma’s Dharma-Judgment
Vulture vs. Owl
पृथिवीं वर्धयामास स्थित्यर्थं मेदसा तयोः । मेदोगंधा तु धरणी मेदिनीत्यभिधां गता
pṛthivīṃ vardhayāmāsa sthityarthaṃ medasā tayoḥ | medogaṃdhā tu dharaṇī medinītyabhidhāṃ gatā
Pour la stabilité, il agrandit la Terre avec la graisse de ces deux-là. Ainsi la Terre, embaumée de graisse, reçut le nom de «Medinī».
Narrator (contextual; speaker not explicitly identifiable from the single verse alone)
Primary Rasa: adbhuta
Secondary Rasa: shanta
Type: celestial_realm
Sandhi Resolution Notes: स्थित्यर्थं = स्थिति + अर्थम्; मेदोगंधा = मेदः + गन्धा; मेदिनीत्यभिधाम् = मेदिनी + इति + अभिधाम्.
FAQs
Because the text derives the name from ‘medas’ (fat/marrow): the Earth is said to have been enlarged/stabilized using ‘medas’, hence ‘Medinī’—the one associated with medas.
It reflects cosmogonic explanation and purāṇic etymology—linking a cosmic action (stabilizing/enlarging the Earth) with a traditional name of the Earth (Medinī).
Implicitly, it presents the idea of ‘sthiti’ (stability/maintenance) as a deliberate cosmic principle—creation is not only bringing things forth but also establishing them in a sustainable order.