Skanda Purana — Prabhasa Khanda, Shloka 100

Devanagari script

उत्पतंति महाकाया निपतंति यदृच्छया । मेरुमंदरकैलासा वचसा संस्थिताः स्थिराः

Transliteration

utpataṃti mahākāyā nipataṃti yadṛcchayā | merumaṃdarakailāsā vacasā saṃsthitāḥ sthirāḥ

Translation

Ces montagnes aux corps immenses s’envolaient puis retombaient au hasard. Mais Meru, Mandara et Kailāsa furent rendus stables et solidement établis par l’ordre divin.

Word by Word

• उत्पतन्ति: fly up
• उत्पतन्ति: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: उत्-पत् (धातु)
• Form: लट्-लकार, प्रथमपुरुष, बहुवचन; परस्मैपद

• महाकायाः: huge-bodied
• महाकायाः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: महा + काय (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: कर्मधारय (महान् कायः येषाम्); पुल्लिङ्ग, प्रथमा, बहुवचन; (पर्वताः) इति विशेषण

• निपतन्ति: fall down
• निपतन्ति: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: नि-पत् (धातु)
• Form: लट्-लकार, प्रथमपुरुष, बहुवचन; परस्मैपद

• यदृच्छया: by chance
• यदृच्छया: Hetu (Cause/हेतु)
• Type: Noun
• Root: यदृच्छा (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, तृतीया (करण/हेतु), एकवचन; ‘by chance/at random’

• मेरु-मन्दर-कैलासाः: Meru, Mandara, and Kailāsa (mountains)
• मेरु-मन्दर-कैलासाः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: मेरु + मन्दर + कैलास (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: द्वन्द्व-समास (समाहार/इतरेतर); पुल्लिङ्ग, प्रथमा, बहुवचन; (पर्वतानाम् नामानि)

• वचसा: by a command/word
• वचसा: Karana (Instrument/करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: वचस् (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, तृतीया (करण), एकवचन; ‘by (his) word/command’

• संस्थिताः: were established; stood firm
• संस्थिताः: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: सम्-स्था (धातु)
• Form: कृदन्त; भूतकृदन्त (क्त), पुल्लिङ्ग, प्रथमा, बहुवचन; ‘were made to stand/settled’

• स्थिराः: steady; firm
• स्थिराः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: स्थिर (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुल्लिङ्ग, प्रथमा, बहुवचन; संस्थिताः इति विशेषण

Speaker

Nārada

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Meru; Mandara; Kailāsa (as archetypal tīrtha-mountains)

Type: peak

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: Bali

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A cosmic tableau: gigantic mountains rising and falling unpredictably, contrasted with Meru, Mandara, and Kailāsa standing immovable, fixed by divine decree.

Characters & Entities

• Meru
• Mandara
• Kailāsa

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Stability in the world is portrayed as a divine ordinance—holy landscapes become reliable abodes for worship and pilgrimage.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

The verse supports the broader glorification of the Vastrāpatha-kṣetra region by describing how sacred mountains are divinely fixed.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

None is stated in this verse.