Shloka 3

Adhyaya 56Seasons and Time

पपात मेरुपृष्ठे च सा चतुर्धा ततो ययौ ।

मेरुकूटतटान्तेभ्यो निपतन्ती ववर्तिता ॥

papāta merupṛṣṭhe ca sā caturdhā tato yayau /

merukūṭataṭāntebhyo nipatantī vavartitā

അവൾ മേരു പർവതത്തിന്റെ പൃഷ്ഠത്തിൽ പതിച്ചു; പിന്നെ നാലു പ്രവാഹങ്ങളായി ഒഴുകി. മേരുവിന്റെ ശിഖരങ്ങളുടെയും ചരിവുകളുടെയും അറ്റങ്ങളിൽ നിന്ന് പതിക്കുമ്പോൾ അവൾ വ്യത്യസ്ത വഴികളിലേക്കു തിരിക്കപ്പെട്ടു।

papātafell
papāta:
Kriyā (क्रिया/Verbal action)
TypeVerb
Rootpat (धातु)
FormLaṅ-lakāra (Imperfect/Past/लङ्), Prathama-puruṣa (3rd person/प्रथमपुरुष), Ekavacana (Singular/एकवचन), Parasmaipada (परस्मैपद)
meru-pṛṣṭheon the back/slope of Meru
meru-pṛṣṭhe:
Adhikaraṇa (अधिकरण/Location)
TypeNoun
Rootmeru-pṛṣṭha (प्रातिपदिक)
FormNapुंसकलिङ्ग (Neuter/नपुंसकलिङ्ग), Saptamī vibhakti (Locative/सप्तमी), Ekavacana (Singular/एकवचन); samāsa: meru (Meru) + pṛṣṭha (back/slope)
caand
ca:
Samuccaya (समुच्चय/Connector)
TypeIndeclinable
Rootca (अव्यय)
FormAvyaya; conjunction (समुच्चय)
she
:
Karta (कर्ता/Subject)
TypeNoun
Roottad (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
FormSarvanāma, Strīliṅga, Prathamā, Ekavacana
caturdhāinto four streams
caturdhā:
Kriyāviśeṣaṇa (क्रियाविशेषण/Adverb)
TypeIndeclinable
Rootcaturdhā (अव्यय)
FormAvyaya; adverb (क्रियाविशेषण) meaning ‘in four ways/into four parts’
tataḥthen/from there
tataḥ:
Apādāna-artha (अपादानार्थ/Source-sense adverb)
TypeIndeclinable
Roottatas (अव्यय)
FormAvyaya; ‘then/from there’
yayauwent
yayau:
Kriyā (क्रिया/Verbal action)
TypeVerb
Rootyā (धातु)
FormLiṭ-lakāra (Perfect/लिट्), Prathama-puruṣa (3rd person/प्रथमपुरुष), Ekavacana (Singular/एकवचन), Parasmaipada (परस्मैपद)
meru-kūṭa-taṭa-antebhyaḥfrom the edges of Meru’s peak-slopes
meru-kūṭa-taṭa-antebhyaḥ:
Apādāna (अपादान/Source)
TypeNoun
Rootmeru-kūṭa-taṭa-anta (प्रातिपदिक)
FormPuṃliṅga (Masculine/पुंलिङ्ग) (anta as m.), Pañcamī vibhakti (Ablative/पञ्चमी), Bahuvacana (Plural/बहुवचन); samāsa chain: meru + kūṭa (peak) + taṭa (slope/bank) + anta (end/edge)
nipatantīfalling down
nipatantī:
Kriyāviśeṣaṇa (क्रियाविशेषण/Participial modifier)
TypeAdjective
Rootni-pat (धातु)
FormKṛdanta: Śatṛ (Present active participle/शतृ), Strīliṅga, Prathamā, Ekavacana
vavartitāwas turned/diverted
vavartitā:
Kriyā (क्रिया/Predicate participle)
TypeAdjective
Rootvṛt (धातु)
FormKṛdanta: Kta (Past passive participle/क्त), Strīliṅga, Prathamā, Ekavacana; causative/iterative sense in context ‘was made to turn/was diverted’
Mārkaṇḍeya (continuing narration)
Gaṅgā
Gaṅgā as cosmic river (Devī in geographic-cosmic role)
CosmologySacred GeographyMount Meru

FAQs

A single sacred source can manifest as multiple life-giving streams suited to different regions—unity expressing itself as beneficial plurality.

Sthāna: it describes the world-mountain Meru and the distribution of waters across directions/regions.

The ‘fourfold’ flow is often read as the one spiritual current differentiating into four channels—analogous to four directions, four Vedas, or four modes of dharma adapted to contexts.