yadā kṛtāmbhonidhisetubandhanaḥkarasthalādhaḥkṛtaparvatādhipaḥ ;bhavāni te laṅghitapadmasambhava-stadā śivārcāstavabhāvanakṣamaḥ . 88 .
ŚLOKA 88 / 100
The limits of my capacity
About these study notes: English meanings and explanations were generated with AI assistance and have not been independently reviewed by a Sanskrit scholar. Sanskrit text follows the cited source editions.
02 / PHRASE STUDY · PADĀRTHA
A phrase at a time.
Follow the words into meaning. Select a phrase to locate it in the verse above. Read the quarters together for the full sentence.
Sringeri IAST text · source wording and line-break hyphens retained. English glosses follow the connected Sanskrit sense.
Vignanam text · spellings and hyphens retained. English glosses follow the base Sanskrit; variant readings are not separately translated.
| Selected phrase | Meaning in context |
|---|---|
When I can build a bridge across the ocean, | |
Hold the lord of mountains beneath my hand, | |
And surpass the lotus-born creator, | |
Then perhaps I will be equal to your worship, praise and contemplation. |
These four study units follow the printed quarters. Sentences and compounds can continue across a line break; read the whole verse for connected meaning. The source wording stays unchanged.
| Selected phrase | Meaning in context |
|---|---|
When I can build a bridge across the ocean, Key expressions in this quarter: ambhonidhi — ocean; setubandhana — building a bridge. | |
Hold the lord of mountains beneath my hand, Key expressions in this quarter: karasthala — palm of the hand; parvatādhipa — lord of mountains. | |
And surpass the lotus-born creator, Key expressions in this quarter: padmasambhava — lotus-born creator. | |
Then perhaps I will be equal to your worship, praise and contemplation. Key expressions in this quarter: arcā — worship; stava — praise; bhāvanā — contemplation. |
Selected words and compound parts are shown in IAST. This is a contextual vocabulary study, not an exhaustive grammatical analysis. The source phrase follows your selected script. Locate highlights that unchanged phrase; learning forms are not substituted into the verse.
| Word / source phrase | Meaning in context |
|---|---|
ocean | |
building a bridge | |
palm of the hand | |
lord of mountains | |
lotus-born creator | |
worship | |
praise | |
contemplation |
03 / SIMPLE MEANING
The limits of my capacity
When I can build a bridge across the ocean, Hold the lord of mountains beneath my hand, And surpass the lotus-born creator, Then perhaps I will be equal to your worship, praise and contemplation.
04 / DETAILED MEANING
How the verse unfolds.
The speaker sets impossibly high measures of adequacy beside acts of worship. The exaggeration acknowledges how far divine greatness exceeds personal capacity. It can invite modesty in practice without requiring that an ordinary worshipper abandon sincere praise.
EDITORIAL EXPLANATION · NOT A TRADITIONAL COMMENTARY
05 / DEEPER CONTEMPLATION
Can I practise sincerely without needing to feel fully adequate?
Read this verse once more, then sit with the question. Notice the particular image or expression that holds your attention. You do not need to force an answer.
Keep a reflection or question ↓06 / THEMES & TATTVA
Connected themes
Editorial lenses; a verse may invite other readings.
Associated Tattva
Grace and approach
Impossible measures of strength precede the claim to be capable of adequate worship. The exaggeration gives a language to humility before divine greatness.
Explore this Tattva →07 / PERSONAL REFLECTION
A phrase, a question, a moment of understanding
Can I practise sincerely without needing to feel fully adequate?
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