Skanda Purana — Mahesvara Khanda, Shloka 36

Devanagari script

एकादशशतायामाश्चत्वारो गिरिकेतवः । एतेषां संति चत्वारि वनानि जयमूर्धसु

Transliteration

ekādaśaśatāyāmāścatvāro giriketavaḥ | eteṣāṃ saṃti catvāri vanāni jayamūrdhasu

Translation

இந்த நான்கு கிரிகேதுக்கள் (சிகரங்கள்) பதினொன்று நூறு யோஜனங்கள் வரை விரிந்துள்ளன; அவற்றின் உயர்ந்த ஜயமூர்த்தச் சிகரங்களில் நான்கு புனித வனங்கள் உள்ளன।

Word by Word

• ekādaśa: eleven
• ekādaśa: Viśeṣaṇa (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: ekādaśa (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: संख्यावाचक-विशेषण (numeral adjective), अव्ययवत् प्रयोगः; समासः द्विगुः (eka + daśa)

• śata: a hundred
• śata: Viśeṣya (Qualified noun/विशेष्य)
• Type: Noun
• Root: śata (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया, एकवचन (neuter, nominative/accusative singular; used as measure ‘hundred’)

• āyāmāḥ: lengths/extends
• āyāmāḥ: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: āyāma (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, बहुवचन (masculine, nominative plural)

• ca: and
• ca: Sambandha (Connector/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: ca (अव्यय)
• Form: समुच्चयबोधक-अव्यय (conjunction)

• catvāraḥ: four
• catvāraḥ: Viśeṣaṇa (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: catvāra (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: संख्यावाचक-विशेषण, पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, बहुवचन (numeral adjective, masculine, nominative plural)

• giri-ketavaḥ: mountain-peaks / mountain-banners
• giri-ketavaḥ: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: giri (प्रातिपदिक) + ketu (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: तत्पुरुष-समासः (giri- ‘mountain’ + ketu ‘banner/peak’); पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, बहुवचन (masculine, nominative plural)

• eteṣām: of these
• eteṣām: Sambandha (Genitive relation/षष्ठी)
• Type: Noun
• Root: etad (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: सर्वनाम, षष्ठी, बहुवचन (pronoun, genitive plural)

• santi: are/exist
• santi: Kriyā (Predicate/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: as (धातु)
• Form: लट्-लकार (present), प्रथमपुरुष, बहुवचन; परस्मैपद (3rd person plural)

• catvāri: four
• catvāri: Viśeṣaṇa (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: catvāri (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: संख्यावाचक-विशेषण, नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया, बहुवचन (numeral adjective, neuter, nominative/accusative plural)

• vanāni: forests
• vanāni: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: vana (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया, बहुवचन (neuter, nominative/accusative plural)

• jaya-mūrdhasu: on/at the Jaya-peaks (Jaya-mūrdhas)
• jaya-mūrdhasu: Adhikaraṇa (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: jaya (प्रातिपदिक) + mūrdhan (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: तत्पुरुष-समासः; ‘jaya-mūrdhan’ इति स्थाननाम; पुंलिङ्ग, सप्तमी, बहुवचन (locative plural)

Speaker

Lomaharṣaṇa (Sūta), narrating to the sages (deduced from Māheśvarakhaṇḍa context)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Type: peak

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A vast cosmic mountain-range with four banner-like peaks; on each summit a distinct forest canopy, arranged in the four directions like a mandala around a central axis.

Characters & Entities

• giriketavaḥ
• vanāni

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

The cosmos is portrayed as a structured sacred realm, where even measurements and landscapes signify an ordered dharmic universe.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

No specific tīrtha; it describes cosmic topography—peaks and forests—within Jambūdvīpa.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

None; the verse is descriptive.