Skanda Purana — Brahma Khanda, Shloka 111

Devanagari script

प्रधानतीर्थान्येतानि महापापहराणि च । कथितानि द्विजश्रेष्ठास्सेतुमध्यगतानि वै

Transliteration

pradhānatīrthānyetāni mahāpāpaharāṇi ca | kathitāni dvijaśreṣṭhāssetumadhyagatāni vai

Translation

Dies sind die vornehmsten Tīrthas, und sie vernichten selbst große Sünden. Sie sind euch dargelegt worden, o Bester der Zweimalgeborenen, als wahrlich innerhalb des Setu-Gebietes gelegen.

Word by Word

• प्रधानतीर्थानि: principal tīrthas
• प्रधानतीर्थानि: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: प्रधान (प्रातिपदिक) + तीर्थ (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, बहुवचन; समासः: प्रधान-तीर्थ (कर्मधारय) — ‘principal sacred places’

• एतानि: these
• एतानि: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: एतद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, बहुवचन — ‘these’ (demonstrative)

• महापापहराणि: removing great sins
• महापापहराणि: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: महा (प्रातिपदिक) + पाप (प्रातिपदिक) + हर (कृदन्त/प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, बहुवचन; समासः: महा-पाप-हर (तत्पुरुष) — ‘removers of great sins’

• च: and
• च: Sambandha (Connector/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: च (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय (समुच्चयबोधक-निपात) — ‘and’

• कथितानि: have been described
• कथितानि: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: कथ् (धातु) → कथित (कृदन्त)
• Form: भूतकर्मणि कृदन्त (क्त), नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, बहुवचन — ‘told/declared’

• द्विजश्रेष्ठाः: O best of the twice-born
• द्विजश्रेष्ठाः: Sambodhana (Address/सम्बोधन)
• Type: Noun
• Root: द्विज (प्रातिपदिक) + श्रेष्ठ (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, संबोधन, बहुवचन; समासः: द्विज-श्रेष्ठ (तत्पुरुष) — ‘O best of Brahmins’

• सेतुमध्यगतानि: located in the middle of the Setu
• सेतुमध्यगतानि: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: सेतु (प्रातिपदिक) + मध्य (प्रातिपदिक) + गत (कृदन्त/प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: भूतकृदन्त (क्त) ‘गत’; नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, बहुवचन; समासः: सेतु-मध्य-गत (तत्पुरुष) — ‘situated in the middle of the Setu’

• वै: indeed
• वै: Sambandha (Emphasis/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: वै (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय (निपात; अवधारण/खलु-अर्थ) — ‘indeed/verily’

Speaker

Sūta (deduced)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Setu pradhāna-tīrthas (collective)

Type: kshetra

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: Dvija-śreṣṭhas (assembled brāhmaṇas)

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A sage-teacher addressing assembled brāhmaṇas, gesturing toward a stylized map of Setu with highlighted ‘chief tīrthas’; the sea and bridge motif in the background.

Characters & Entities

• Setu
• dvijaśreṣṭhas
• tīrthas

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Pilgrimage to the foremost tīrthas, when undertaken in dharma, is portrayed as a powerful means of moral purification.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

The verse praises the ‘principal tīrthas’ located within Setu as a collective sacred network.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

No specific ritual is detailed; the emphasis is on the tīrthas’ inherent pāpa-hara (sin-removing) potency.