Skanda Purana — Mahesvara Khanda, Shloka 36

Devanagari script

एकादशशतायामाश्चत्वारो गिरिकेतवः । एतेषां संति चत्वारि वनानि जयमूर्धसु

Transliteration

ekādaśaśatāyāmāścatvāro giriketavaḥ | eteṣāṃ saṃti catvāri vanāni jayamūrdhasu

Translation

یہ چار گِرِکیتو (پہاڑی عَلَم جیسے شِکھر) گیارہ سو یوجن تک پھیلے ہوئے ہیں۔ ان کی بلند چوٹیوں پر چار مقدّس جنگلات ہیں۔

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.