Skanda Purana — Brahma Khanda, Shloka 7

Devanagari script

महेंद्रं गिरिमासाद्य व्यलोकयत वारिधिम् । तस्मिन्नपारे जलधौ कृत्वा सेतुं रघूद्वहः

Transliteration

maheṃdraṃ girimāsādya vyalokayata vāridhim | tasminnapāre jaladhau kṛtvā setuṃ raghūdvahaḥ

Translation

Parvenu au mont Mahendra, l’illustre descendant de Raghu contempla l’océan ; et sur cette mer sans bornes il édifia le Pont sacré (Setu).

Word by Word

• महेंद्रम्: Mahendra (mountain)
• महेंद्रम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: महेंद्र (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति (Accusative/2nd), एकवचन; समासः—कर्मधारयः (महा इन्द्र इव/महान् इन्द्रः)

• गिरिम्: the mountain
• गिरिम्: Karma (Appositional object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: गिरि (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति, एकवचन; महेंद्रस्य विशेषणरूपेण

• आसाद्य: having reached
• आसाद्य: Purvakala (Prior action/पूर्वकाल)
• Type: Verb
• Root: आ + सद् (धातु)
• Form: क्त्वा-प्रत्ययान्त अव्ययकृदन्त (Gerund/Absolutive); ‘having reached/approached’

• व्यलोकयत: (he) looked at
• व्यलोकयत: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: वि + लोक् (धातु)
• Form: लङ्-लकार (Imperfect), परस्मैपद, प्रथमपुरुष, एकवचन

• वारिधिम्: the ocean
• वारिधिम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: वारिधि (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति, एकवचन

• तस्मिन्: in that
• तस्मिन्: Adhikarana (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: तद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुं/नपुंसकलिङ्ग, सप्तमी-विभक्ति (Locative/7th), एकवचन

• अपारे: boundless, on the far/limitless (ocean)
• अपारे: Adhikarana (Qualifier in locative/अधिकरण-विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: अपार (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, सप्तमी-विभक्ति, एकवचन; जलधोः विशेषणम्

• जलधौ: in the sea
• जलधौ: Adhikarana (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: जलधि (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, सप्तमी-विभक्ति, एकवचन

• कृत्वा: having made
• कृत्वा: Purvakala (Prior action/पूर्वकाल)
• Type: Verb
• Root: कृ (धातु)
• Form: क्त्वा-प्रत्ययान्त अव्ययकृदन्त (Gerund/Absolutive); ‘having made’

• सेतुम्: a bridge, causeway
• सेतुम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: सेतु (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति, एकवचन

• रघु-उद्वहः: the best of the Raghu line
• रघु-उद्वहः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: रघु (प्रातिपदिक) + उद्वह (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन; समासः—षष्ठी-तत्पुरुषः (रघोः उद्वहः = रघुवंशस्य श्रेष्ठः)

Speaker

Sūta

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Setu (Setubandha) and Mahendra-darśana

Type: sangam

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: Sages

Visual Art Cues

Scene: Rāma atop Mahendra mountain gazes over the roaring ocean; below, vānara engineers place stones, forming the Setu stretching to the horizon; sky wide, sea immense.

Characters & Entities

• Mount Mahendra
• Ocean (Vāridhi/Jaladhi)
• Setu (Setubandha)
• Rāma (Raghūdvaha)

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

With dharma and resolve, seemingly insurmountable obstacles become a sanctified path—transforming geography into tīrtha.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

Setubandha (Rāma-setu) and its surrounding sacred landscape, introduced via Mount Mahendra and the ocean.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

None; the verse narrates the construction of Setu, foundational to the tīrtha’s māhātmya.