Shloka 8

Adhyaya 55 — Description of Jambudvipa: The Four Forests, Lakes, and Mountain Ranges Around Mount Meru; Bharata as the Karma-Bhumi

Sanskrit

पञ्चशैलोऽथ कैलासो हिमवांश्चाचलोत्तमः । इत्येते दक्षिणे पार्श्वे मेरोः प्रोक्ता महाचलाः ॥

Transliteration

pañcaśailo ’tha kailāso himavāṃś cācalottamaḥ | ity ete dakṣiṇe pārśve meroḥ proktā mahācalāḥ ||

Translation

ปัญจไศละ ไกลาสะ และหิมวาน—ยอดแห่งภูเขาทั้งหลาย. ดังนี้ภูเขาใหญ่เหล่านี้ถูกประกาศว่าอยู่ทางด้านใต้ของเมรุ.

Word by Word

• pañcaśailaḥ: Pañcaśaila (Five-peaked mountain; name)
• pañcaśailaḥ: Karta (कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: pañcaśaila (प्रातिपदिक; pañca+śaila)
• Form: Masculine (पुंलिङ्ग), Nominative (प्रथमा/1), Singular (एकवचन)

• atha: then/also
• atha: Sambandha (सम्बन्ध/क्रमसूचक)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: atha (अव्यय)
• Form: Particle/adverb (अनन्तरार्थक/प्रस्तावक अव्यय)

• kailāsaḥ: Kailāsa (name of a mountain)
• kailāsaḥ: Karta (कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: kailāsa (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Masculine (पुंलिङ्ग), Nominative (प्रथमा/1), Singular (एकवचन)

• himavān: Himavān (Himalaya; snow-bearing mountain)
• himavān: Karta (कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: himavat (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Masculine (पुंलिङ्ग), Nominative (प्रथमा/1), Singular (एकवचन); possessive -vān (मतुप्/वन् प्रत्यय)

• ca: and
• ca: Samuccaya (समुच्चय)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: ca (अव्यय)
• Form: Conjunction/particle (समुच्चयबोधक अव्यय)

• acalottamaḥ: Acalottama (best of mountains; name/epithet)
• acalottamaḥ: Karta (कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: acalottama (प्रातिपदिक; acala+uttama)
• Form: Masculine (पुंलिङ्ग), Nominative (प्रथमा/1), Singular (एकवचन)

• iti: thus
• iti: Prakāra/Avadhāraṇa (प्रकार/अवधारण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: iti (अव्यय)
• Form: Quotative particle (इति-शब्दः; अव्यय)

• ete: these
• ete: Karta (कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: etad (प्रातिपदिक; सर्वनाम)
• Form: Masculine (पुंलिङ्ग), Nominative (प्रथमा/1), Plural (बहुवचन)

• dakṣiṇe: on the southern
• dakṣiṇe: Adhikaraṇa (अधिकरण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: dakṣiṇa (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Neuter (नपुंसकलिङ्ग), Locative (सप्तमी/7), Singular (एकवचन); used with pārśve

• pārśve: side/flank
• pārśve: Adhikaraṇa (अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: pārśva (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Neuter (नपुंसकलिङ्ग), Locative (सप्तमी/7), Singular (एकवचन)

• meroḥ: of Meru
• meroḥ: Sambandha (सम्बन्ध/षष्ठी)
• Type: Noun
• Root: meru (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Masculine (पुंलिङ्ग), Genitive (षष्ठी/6), Singular (एकवचन)

• proktāḥ: declared/said
• proktāḥ: Kriyā (क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: √vac (धातु) + pra (उपसर्ग) ; prokta (कृदन्त, क्त)
• Form: Past passive participle (क्त/PPP), Masculine (पुंलिङ्ग), Nominative (प्रथमा/1), Plural (बहुवचन); agrees with mahācalāḥ; sense: ‘have been said/declared’

• mahācalāḥ: great mountains
• mahācalāḥ: Karta (कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: mahācala (प्रातिपदिक; mahā+acala)
• Form: Masculine (पुंलिङ्ग), Nominative (प्रथमा/1), Plural (बहुवचन)

Speakers

• Not within Devi Mahatmyam; cosmographic narration (speaker not specified in the provided excerpt)

Verse Rasa

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

Primary Deities

• Shiva

Key Themes

• Cosmology
• Sacred Geography
• Axis Mundi (Meru)

FAQs

What is the philosophical or ethical takeaway?

Kailāsa and Himavān evoke sacred landscape as a bridge between divine presence and earthly life; devotion is grounded in place as well as in doctrine.

How does this fit the Pancalakshana (5 characteristics)?

World-structure description allied to sarga/pratisarga cosmography; not a Devi Mahatmyam (śākta) battle or hymn section.

What is the esoteric significance?

Meru as center and the directional mountains as its ‘limbs’ form a cosmic body; Kailāsa’s inclusion links cosmography to Śaiva sacred geography.