Shloka 198

Viśokā Dvādaśī Vow, Guḍa-Dhenū (Jaggery-Cow) Gift, and Śaila-Dāna (Mountain-Charity) Rites

Devanagari script

एतद्वृक्षत्रयं मूर्ध्नि सर्वेष्वपि निवेशयेत् । हरिचंदनसंतानौ पूर्वपश्चिमभागयोः

Transliteration

etadvṛkṣatrayaṃ mūrdhni sarveṣvapi niveśayet | haricaṃdanasaṃtānau pūrvapaścimabhāgayoḥ

Translation

हे वृक्षत्रय सर्वत्र (सर्व विन्यासांत) शिरस्थानी ठेवावे. तसेच हरिवृक्ष व चंदनसंतती हे पूर्व व पश्चिम भागांत स्थापावेत.

Word by Word

• etat-vṛkṣa-trayam: this set of three trees
• etat-vṛkṣa-trayam: Karma (कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: etat (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक) + vṛkṣa (प्रातिपदिक) + traya (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: द्विगु-समास (त्रय-समाहार); नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd/द्वितीया), एकवचन — Accusative singular; ‘this set of three trees’

• mūrdhni: on the summit/head
• mūrdhni: Adhikaraṇa (अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: mūrdhan (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, सप्तमी (7th/सप्तमी), एकवचन — Locative singular

• sarveṣu: in all
• sarveṣu: Adhikaraṇa (अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: sarva (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग/नपुंसकलिङ्ग, सप्तमी (7th/सप्तमी), बहुवचन — Locative plural; here ‘in all (places/mountains)’

• api: also, even
• api: Sambandha (सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: api (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; अवधान/समुच्चयार्थक (particle: also/even)

• niveśayet: should place/establish
• niveśayet: Kriyā (क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: √viś (धातु)
• Form: लोट् (imperative/विधिलिङ्-समर्थ आदेश), परस्मैपद, प्रथमपुरुष (3rd person), एकवचन — ‘let (him) place/establish’

• hari-candana-saṃtānau: the two Haricandana lineages/trees
• hari-candana-saṃtānau: Karta (कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: hari (प्रातिपदिक) + candana (प्रातिपदिक) + saṃtāna (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: तत्पुरुष-समास (कर्मधारय/षष्ठीभाव: ‘haricandanasya saṃtānau’); पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/प्रथमा), द्विवचन — Nominative dual

• pūrva-paścima-bhāgayoḥ: in the eastern and western parts
• pūrva-paścima-bhāgayoḥ: Adhikaraṇa (अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: pūrva (प्रातिपदिक) + paścima (प्रातिपदिक) + bhāga (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: द्वन्द्व-समास (pūrvaś ca paścimaś ca); ‘bhāgayoḥ’—पुंलिङ्ग, षष्ठी/सप्तमी? here: सप्तमी-द्विवचन/षष्ठी-द्विवचन form is bhāgayoḥ (Gen./Loc. dual); अर्थतः सप्तमी (locative): ‘in the eastern and western parts’

Speaker

Unspecified (narrative instruction within Sṛṣṭi-khaṇḍa context)

Verse Rasa

Primary Rasa: shanta

Secondary Rasa: adbhuta

Geographic Context

Type: mountain

Sandhi Resolution Notes

Sandhi Resolution Notes: एतद्वृक्षत्रयं → etat vṛkṣa-trayam (t + v sandhi); सर्वेष्वपि → sarveṣu api (u + a sandhi); हरिचंदनसंतानौ → hari-candana-saṃtānau; पूर्वपश्चिमभागयोः → pūrva-paścima-bhāgayoḥ (dvandva compound).

Characters & Entities

• Hari (Vishnu)

FAQs

What is the practical instruction given in this verse?

It prescribes a placement scheme: a ‘triad of trees’ is to be set at the top/foremost position, while the Hari-associated tree and sandalwood lineage are placed on the eastern and western sides.

Why are east and west specifically mentioned?

East–west orientation commonly encodes ritual and symbolic order in Purāṇic practice; here it functions as a directional rule for arranging sacred items/trees in a prescribed layout.

How does this connect to Vaishnava themes in the Padma Purana?

The explicit mention of ‘Hari’ (Vishnu) signals Vaishnava sacrality, suggesting that the arrangement honors Vishnu-associated elements alongside other auspicious substances like sandalwood.