Shloka 23

Adhyaya 57 — The Ninefold Divisions of Bharata: Mountains, Rivers, and Peoples

Sanskrit

सुमेरुजा शुक्तिमती शकुली त्रिदिवाक्रमुः ।

(विन्ध्य) (स्कन्ध) पादप्रसूता वै तथान्या वेगवाहिनी ॥

Transliteration

sumerujā śuktimatī śakulī tridivākramuḥ / (vindhya) (skandha) pādaprasūtā vai tathānyā vegavāhinī

Translation

സുമേരുജാ, ശുക്തിമതി, ശകുലീ, ത്രിദിവാക്രമു; കൂടാതെ (വിംധ്യ/സ്കന്ധ—പാഠം അനിശ്ചിതം) പാദപ്രദേശത്തിൽ നിന്നു ജനിച്ചതായി പറയപ്പെടുന്ന മറ്റു നദികൾ, പിന്നെ ‘വേഗവാഹിനീ’ എന്ന മറ്റൊരു നദിയും।

Word by Word

• सुमेरुजा: Sumerujā (born from Sumeru)
• सुमेरुजा: Karta (कर्ता/Subject)
• Type: Noun
• Root: सुमेरु + जा (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन; समासः—सुमेरोः जा (षष्ठी-तत्पुरुष)

• शुक्तिमती: the river Śuktimatī
• शुक्तिमती: Karta (कर्ता/Subject)
• Type: Noun
• Root: शुक्तिमती (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन; नदी-नाम

• शकुली: the river Śakulī
• शकुली: Karta (कर्ता/Subject)
• Type: Noun
• Root: शकुली (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन; नदी-नाम

• त्रिदिवाक्रमुः: Tridivākramu (river-name; ‘he who strides the heaven’)
• त्रिदिवाक्रमुः: Karta (कर्ता/Subject)
• Type: Noun
• Root: त्रिदिव + आक्रमु (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन; समासः—त्रिदिवस्य आक्रमुः (षष्ठी-तत्पुरुष); नदी-नाम (पाठभेद/दुर्लभ-रूप)

• विन्ध्य: of Vindhya
• विन्ध्य: Sambandha (सम्बन्ध/Genitive)
• Type: Noun
• Root: विन्ध्य (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, षष्ठी (6th/Genitive), एकवचन; पर्वत-नाम (inferred as compound member)

• स्कन्ध: of the slope/shoulder
• स्कन्ध: Sambandha (सम्बन्ध/Genitive)
• Type: Noun
• Root: स्कन्ध (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, षष्ठी, एकवचन; ‘shoulder/slope’; (inferred as compound member)

• पादप्रसूता: born from the foot
• पादप्रसूता: Visheshana (विशेषण/Qualifier)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: पाद + प्रसूता (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन; समासः—पादात् प्रसूता (पञ्चमी-तत्पुरुष); विशेषण (river ‘born from the foot’)

• वै: indeed
• वै: Sambandha (सम्बन्ध/Emphasis)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: वै (अव्यय)
• Form: निश्चयार्थक-अव्यय (particle: indeed)

• तथा: likewise
• तथा: Sambandha (सम्बन्ध/Adverbial)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: तथा (अव्यय)
• Form: रीत्यर्थक-अव्यय (adverb: likewise)

• अन्या: another (river)
• अन्या: Visheshana (विशेषण/Qualifier)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: अन्य (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन; विशेषण

• वेगवाहिनी: Vegavāhinī (‘swift-flowing’ river)
• वेगवाहिनी: Karta (कर्ता/Subject)
• Type: Noun
• Root: वेग + वाहिनी (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन; समासः—वेगं वहति इति (उपपद-तत्पुरुष/कर्मधारय-प्राय)

Speakers

• Unspecified in provided excerpt (catalogue continues); verse shows textual/recensional uncertainty in the supplied transliteration

Verse Rasa

{ "primaryRasa": "shanta", "secondaryRasa": "adbhuta", "rasaIntensity": 0, "emotionalArcPosition": "", "moodDescriptors": [] }

Key Themes

• Geography
• Textual variants
• River origins (mountain foothills)

FAQs

What is the philosophical or ethical takeaway?

Purāṇic catalogues preserve regional memory; acknowledging variant readings reminds the reader to practice humility and care in transmission (śruti-smṛti preservation ethic).

How does this fit the Pancalakshana (5 characteristics)?

Ancillary geographic register; the presence of variants highlights the Purāṇas’ multi-recension transmission rather than a single pancalakṣaṇa narrative thread.

What is the esoteric significance?

‘Foothill-born’ rivers symbolize teachings adapted to human scale—high truths descending into workable forms, sometimes under different names across regions.