Shloka 199

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

Devanagari script

निवेश्यौ सर्वशैलेषु विशेषाच्छर्कराचले । मंदरे कामदेवस्तु प्रत्यग्वक्त्रः सदा भवेत्

Transliteration

niveśyau sarvaśaileṣu viśeṣāccharkarācale | maṃdare kāmadevastu pratyagvaktraḥ sadā bhavet

Translation

Semuanya hendaklah dipasang pada semua gunung—terutama di Śarkarācala. Dan di Gunung Mandara, Kāma-deva hendaklah sentiasa ditegakkan menghadap ke barat.

Word by Word

• niveśyau: (the two) should be placed
• niveśyau: Vidhi (विधि)
• Type: Verb
• Root: √viś (धातु)
• Form: कृदन्त; तव्यत्/यत्-प्रत्यय-भाव्य (gerundive), पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, द्विवचन — ‘to be placed (two)’

• sarva-śaileṣu: on all mountains
• sarva-śaileṣu: Adhikaraṇa (अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: sarva (प्रातिपदिक) + śaila (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: तत्पुरुष-समास; पुंलिङ्ग, सप्तमी (7th/सप्तमी), बहुवचन — Locative plural

• viśeṣāt: especially
• viśeṣāt: Sambandha (सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: viśeṣa (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: तसिल्-प्रत्ययान्त अव्यय (ablatival adverb): ‘especially/from distinction’

• śarkarā-acle: on Śarkarācala mountain
• śarkarā-acle: Adhikaraṇa (अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: śarkarā (प्रातिपदिक) + acala (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: तत्पुरुष-समास; पुंलिङ्ग, सप्तमी (7th/सप्तमी), एकवचन — Locative singular

• mandare: on Mandara (mountain)
• mandare: Adhikaraṇa (अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: mandara (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, सप्तमी (7th/सप्तमी), एकवचन — Locative singular

• kāma-devaḥ: Kāmadeva
• kāma-devaḥ: Karta (कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: kāma (प्रातिपदिक) + deva (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: तत्पुरुष-समास; पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/प्रथमा), एकवचन — Nominative singular

• tu: indeed, but
• tu: Sambandha (सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: tu (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; विरोध/विशेषार्थक (particle: but/indeed)

• pratyak-vaktraḥ: having the face turned westward/backward
• pratyak-vaktraḥ: Viśeṣaṇa (विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: pratyak (अव्यय/प्रातिपदिक) + vaktra (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: बहुव्रीहि-समास (‘yasya vaktraṃ pratyak’); पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन — Nominative singular; विशेषण of kāmadevaḥ

• sadā: always
• sadā: Kāla (काल)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: sadā (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; कालवाचक (adverb of time)

• bhavet: should be
• bhavet: Kriyā (क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: √bhū (धातु)
• Form: विधिलिङ् (optative/विधिलिङ्), परस्मैपद, प्रथमपुरुष (3rd person), एकवचन — ‘should be’

Speaker

Unspecified (context not provided for the dialogue frame in this excerpt)

Verse Rasa

Primary Rasa: adbhuta

Secondary Rasa: shringara

Geographic Context

Type: mountain

Sandhi Resolution Notes

Sandhi Resolution Notes: विशेषाच्छर्कराचले → viśeṣāt śarkarācale (t + ś); कामदेवस्तु → kāmadevaḥ tu (visarga sandhi); प्रत्यग्वक्त्रः → pratyak-vaktraḥ.

Characters & Entities

• Śarkarācala
• Mandara
• Kāmadeva

FAQs

What does this verse indicate about sacred geography in the Padma Purana?

It links specific mountains (Śarkarācala and Mandara) with prescribed religious installations, treating prominent landscapes as ritual and devotional centers.

Why is Kāmadeva described as ‘pratyag-vaktra’ (west-facing) on Mandara?

The verse gives a directional prescription for installation—Kāmadeva is to be established facing west—reflecting traditional concerns with orientation in icon placement and sacred space.

Is this verse primarily devotional (bhakti) or ritual-technical?

It reads as ritual-technical and geo-sacral: it prescribes where and how to install (niveśya) deities, anchoring devotion in specific places and orientations.