Shloka 13

Adhyāya 325: Nārada in Śvetadvīpa—Stotra to the Nirguṇa Mahātman

Devanagari script

सगिरीक्षाप्यतिक्रम्य नदीतीर्थसरांसि च । बहुव्यालमृगाकीर्णा हाटवीश्व वनानि च

Transliteration

sa-girīkṣāpy atikramya nadī-tīrtha-sarāṁsi ca | bahu-vyāla-mṛgākīrṇā hāṭavīś ca vanāni ca ||

Translation

毗湿摩说道：越过群山与险隘，又渡过江河、圣渡（提尔塔）与湖泊，他们穿行于诸多森林——其中蛇虫与猛兽丛生。依次克服一切阻碍之后，他们又穿越了名为须弥（伊罗跋吒）、诃利洲（Hari-varṣa）以及雪覆的海摩伐多（Kimpuruṣa）之地，最终抵达婆罗多洲（Bhārata-varṣa）。

Word by Word

• स: he/that (one)
• स: Karta
• Type: Pronoun
• Root: तद्
• Form: Masculine, Nominative, Singular

• गिरीन्: mountains
• गिरीन्: Karma
• Type: Noun
• Root: गिरि
• Form: Masculine, Accusative, Plural

• क्षापि: also, even
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: क्षापि

• अतिक्रम्य: having crossed/overstepped
• Type: Verb
• Root: अति-क्रम्
• Form: ल्यप् (absolutive/gerund), Parasmaipada (usage-neutral in gerund)

• नदी: rivers
• नदी: Karma
• Type: Noun
• Root: नदी
• Form: Feminine, Accusative, Plural

• तीर्थ: ford(s), sacred crossing-place(s)
• तीर्थ: Karma
• Type: Noun
• Root: तीर्थ
• Form: Neuter, Accusative, Plural

• सरांसि: lakes, ponds
• सरांसि: Karma
• Type: Noun
• Root: सरस्
• Form: Neuter, Accusative, Plural

• च: and
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: च

• बहु: many, much
• बहु: Karta
• Type: Adjective
• Root: बहु
• Form: Feminine, Nominative, Singular

• व्याल: serpents, fierce creatures
• व्याल: Karana
• Type: Noun
• Root: व्याल
• Form: Masculine, Instrumental, Plural

• मृग: wild animals, deer
• मृग: Karana
• Type: Noun
• Root: मृग
• Form: Masculine, Instrumental, Plural

• आकीर्णा: filled, crowded
• Type: Adjective
• Root: आ-कीर्ण
• Form: Feminine, Nominative, Singular, क्त (past passive participle)

• अटवीः: forests, wild tracts
• अटवीः: Karta
• Type: Noun
• Root: अटवी
• Form: Feminine, Nominative, Plural

• च: and
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: च

• वनानि: woods, forests
• वनानि: Karta
• Type: Noun
• Root: वन
• Form: Neuter, Nominative, Plural

• च: and
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: च

Speaker

भीष्म उवाच

Characters & Entities

• Bhīṣma
• mountains (giri)
• rivers (nadī)
• tīrthas (sacred fords)
• lakes (saras)
• serpents/dangerous creatures (vyāla)
• wild animals (mṛga)
• forests (hāṭavī, vana)
• Meru
• Ilāvṛta-varṣa
• Hari-varṣa
• Haimavata-varṣa
• Kimpuruṣa-varṣa
• Bhārata-varṣa

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

The verse highlights steadfastness and disciplined perseverance: even when the path is filled with natural dangers and hardships, one who is committed to a higher purpose (dharma, pilgrimage, or duty) proceeds step by step, crossing obstacles without yielding to fear or fatigue.

What is happening in the narrative?

Bhishma describes a long, arduous journey: the travelers cross mountains, rivers, sacred fords, and lakes, pass through forests crowded with serpents and wild animals, and then move through the mythic regions associated with Meru—Ilavrita, Hari-varsha, and the snowy Haimavata/Kimpurusha tract—before reaching Bharata-varsha.