Skanda Purana — Brahma Khanda, Shloka 40

Devanagari script

उपायैरधिगच्छामो यथा नदनदीपतिम् । कथं तरामः सहसा ससैन्या वरुणालयम्

Transliteration

upāyairadhigacchāmo yathā nadanadīpatim | kathaṃ tarāmaḥ sahasā sasainyā varuṇālayam

Translation

«Approchons le seigneur des fleuves et des rivières par des moyens justes ; comment pourrions-nous, avec l’armée, franchir soudain la demeure de Varuṇa ?»

Word by Word

• उपायैः: by means; by strategies
• उपायैः: Karaṇa (Instrument/करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: उपाय (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, तृतीया (3rd), बहुवचन (masculine instrumental plural)

• अधिगच्छामः: we reach; we attain
• अधिगच्छामः: Kriyā (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: अधि + गम् (धातु)
• Form: लट् (वर्तमान), उत्तमपुरुष (1st person), बहुवचन; परस्मैपद (present indicative, 1st plural)

• यथा: so that; as
• यथा: Prakāra (Manner/प्रकार)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: यथा (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय—उपमान/प्रकारवाचक (indeclinable: ‘so that/as’)

• नदनदीपतिम्: the lord of rivers and streams (the ocean)
• नदनदीपतिम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: नद + नदी + पति (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd), एकवचन; समासः—तत्पुरुषः (‘नदानां नदीनां च पतिः’ = समुद्रः)

• कथम्: how?
• कथम्: Prashna (Interrogative/प्रश्न)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: कथम् (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय—प्रश्नार्थक क्रियाविशेषण (interrogative adverb)

• तरामः: we cross
• तरामः: Kriyā (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: तॄ (धातु)
• Form: लट् (वर्तमान), उत्तमपुरुष (1st person), बहुवचन; परस्मैपद (present indicative, 1st plural)

• सहसा: suddenly; by force
• सहसा: Prakāra (Manner/प्रकार)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: सहसा (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय—क्रियाविशेषण (adverb: suddenly/forcibly)

• ससैन्याः: together with (our) army
• ससैन्याः: Viśeṣaṇa (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: स + सैन्य (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st), बहुवचन; समासः—अव्ययीभावः (‘सैन्येन सह’ → ‘ससैन्य’); विशेषण (with the army)

• वरुणालयम्: Varuṇa’s abode (the sea)
• वरुणालयम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: वरुण + आलय (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd), एकवचन; समासः—तत्पुरुषः (‘वरुणस्य आलयम्’)

Speaker

Rāma (contextual attribution)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Setu-kṣetra (contextual)

Type: kshetra

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: (implied) sages/audience

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A calm counsel scene: leaders gesture toward the ocean, emphasizing ‘proper means’; the army waits in disciplined formation; the sea remains vast and authoritative.

Characters & Entities

• Rāma
• Varuṇa
• Samudra (Ocean)

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Dharma advances through upāya—right method—rather than rash force.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

The Setu seashore setting that culminates in Setubandha (Rāmeśvaram region) is implied, though not named in this verse.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

None explicitly; the focus is on choosing proper means to engage with the ocean.