Shloka 23

Devanagari script

कैलासं प्रस्थितां चैव नदीं गड्जां महातपा: । आनयत्‌ तत्सरो दिव्यं तया भिन्न च तत्सर:

Transliteration

kailāsaṁ prasthitāṁ caiva nadīṁ gaṅgāṁ mahātapāḥ | ānayat tatsaro divyaṁ tayā bhinnaṁ ca tatsaraḥ ||

Translation

ビーシュマは言った。「大いなる苦行者たちは、カイラーサへ向かっていたガンガーを、その天上の湖へと導き入れた。ガンガーが入るや否や湖の堤を破り、彼女が穿った裂け目から流れ出た水脈は、サラユー川として世に知られるようになった。」

Word by Word

• कैलासम्: to Kailāsa (mountain)
• कैलासम्: Karma
• Type: Noun
• Root: कैलास
• Form: Masculine, Accusative, Singular

• प्रस्थिताम्: having set out / departed
• प्रस्थिताम्: Karma
• Type: Adjective
• Root: प्रस्थित (प्र-स्था)
• Form: Feminine, Accusative, Singular

• च: and
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: च

• एव: indeed / just
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: एव

• नदीम्: the river
• नदीम्: Karma
• Type: Noun
• Root: नदी
• Form: Feminine, Accusative, Singular

• गङ्गाम्: Gaṅgā
• गङ्गाम्: Karma
• Type: Noun
• Root: गङ्गा
• Form: Feminine, Accusative, Singular

• महातपाः: great ascetics (those of great austerity)
• महातपाः: Karta
• Type: Noun
• Root: महातपस्
• Form: Masculine, Nominative, Plural

• आनयत्: brought / led
• Type: Verb
• Root: नी (आ-नी)
• Form: Imperfect (Laṅ), 3rd, Singular

• तत्: that
• तत्: Karma
• Type: Pronoun
• Root: तद्
• Form: Neuter, Accusative, Singular

• सरः: lake
• सरः: Karma
• Type: Noun
• Root: सरस्
• Form: Neuter, Accusative, Singular

• दिव्यम्: divine
• Type: Adjective
• Root: दिव्य
• Form: Neuter, Accusative, Singular

• तया: by her (by Gaṅgā)
• तया: Karana
• Type: Pronoun
• Root: तद्
• Form: Feminine, Instrumental, Singular

• भिन्नम्: broken / split
• Type: Adjective
• Root: भिन्न (भिद्)
• Form: Neuter, Nominative, Singular

• च: and
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: च

• तत्: that
• तत्: Karta
• Type: Pronoun
• Root: तद्
• Form: Neuter, Nominative, Singular

• सरः: lake
• सरः: Karta
• Type: Noun
• Root: सरस्
• Form: Neuter, Nominative, Singular

Speaker

भीष्म उवाच

Characters & Entities

• भीष्म (Bhīṣma)
• गङ्गा (Gaṅgā)
• कैलास (Kailāsa)
• दिव्य सरोवर (divine lake/reservoir)

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

The passage highlights sacred causality in tīrtha-traditions: the power of tapas and the sanctifying force of Gaṅgā shape the land itself, giving rise to revered waterways and places of pilgrimage.

What is happening in the narrative?

Great ascetics redirect Gaṅgā into a celestial lake; upon entering, Gaṅgā breaks the lake’s barrier, and the resulting outflow becomes known as the Sarayū river.