Shloka 14

Bhu-maṇḍala-varṇanam

Description of the Earth-Maṇḍala, the Seven Continents, and Meru

Devanagari script

कदंबो जंबुवृक्षश्च पिप्पलो वट एव च । एकादशशतायामाः पादपा गिरिकेतवः

Transliteration

kadaṃbo jaṃbuvṛkṣaśca pippalo vaṭa eva ca | ekādaśaśatāyāmāḥ pādapā giriketavaḥ

Translation

O Kadamba, a árvore Jambu, a Pippala (aśvattha) e também a Vaṭa (baniano): essas árvores, como estandartes das montanhas, elevaram-se à altura de mil e cem yojanas.

Word by Word

• kadaṃbaḥ: Kadamba (tree)
• kadaṃbaḥ: Karta (कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: kadaṃba (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन — वृक्षनाम

• jaṃbu-vṛkṣaḥ: Jambu tree
• jaṃbu-vṛkṣaḥ: Karta (कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: jaṃbu (प्रातिपदिक) + vṛkṣa (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन — षष्ठी-तत्पुरुषः; ‘Jambu-tree’

• ca: and
• ca: Sambandha (सम्बन्ध/connector)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: ca (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय — समुच्चयबोधक (and)

• pippalaḥ: Pippala (aśvattha) tree
• pippalaḥ: Karta (कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: pippala (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन — वृक्षनाम

• vaṭaḥ: Banyan tree
• vaṭaḥ: Karta (कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: vaṭa (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन — वृक्षनाम

• eva: indeed; just
• eva: Sambandha (सम्बन्ध/particle)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: eva (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय — अवधारण (emphasis ‘indeed/just’)

• ca: and
• ca: Sambandha (सम्बन्ध/connector)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: ca (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय — समुच्चयबोधक (and)

• ekādaśa-śata-āyāmāḥ: of length eleven hundred
• ekādaśa-śata-āyāmāḥ: Viśeṣaṇa (विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: ekādaśa (प्रातिपदिक) + śata (प्रातिपदिक) + āyāma (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, बहुवचन — द्विगु-समासः; विशेषणम् (qualifying pādapāḥ): ‘having length of eleven hundred (yojanas)’

• pādapāḥ: trees
• pādapāḥ: Karta (कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: pādapa (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, बहुवचन — ‘trees’

• giri-ketavaḥ: mountain-banners (very tall ones)
• giri-ketavaḥ: Karta (कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: giri (प्रातिपदिक) + ketu (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, बहुवचन — षष्ठी-तत्पुरुषः; ‘mountain-banners’ (metaphor for very tall trees)

Speaker

Suta Goswami

Shaiva Theology

Tattva Level: pasha

Shakti Dimension

Role: nurturing

Ritual Elements

Offering: pushpa

Characters & Entities

• Shiva

FAQs

What is the spiritual significance of this verse in the Shiva Purana?

By describing vast, sky-reaching sacred trees, the Purana evokes the cosmic scale of Śiva’s domain and the grandeur of manifest (saguṇa) creation upheld by Pati (Śiva), inviting devotion through awe and remembrance.

How does this verse relate to the worship of the Linga or Saguna Shiva?

Trees like the pippala and vaṭa are traditional sacred supports for saguṇa worship; the verse reinforces that the visible world can serve as an altar for approaching Śiva, culminating in Linga-centered devotion rather than mere nature-veneration.

What ritualistic or meditative practice is suggested here?

Perform japa of the Pañcākṣarī ("Om Namaḥ Śivāya") and offer water or lamps near a sacred pippala/vaṭa tree with Śiva-bhāva, treating the place as a living reminder of Śiva’s all-pervading presence.