Skanda Purana — Brahma Khanda, Shloka 67

Devanagari script

आदौ तु नवपाषाणमध्येऽब्धौ स्नानमाचरेत् । क्षेत्रपिंडे ततः कुर्याच्चक्रतीर्थे तथैव च

Transliteration

ādau tu navapāṣāṇamadhye'bdhau snānamācaret | kṣetrapiṃḍe tataḥ kuryāccakratīrthe tathaiva ca

Translation

Zuerst soll man im Ozean inmitten der Neun Steine baden. Danach vollziehe man die heilige Darbringung namens kṣetra-piṇḍa; ebenso auch am Cakra-tīrtha.

Word by Word

• आदौ: at first, in the beginning
• आदौ: Kāla-adhikaraṇa (Temporal adverbial/कालाधिकरण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: आदि (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: अव्यय (क्रियाविशेषण) = adverb; अर्थे: प्रारम्भे (in the beginning)

• तु: indeed, then
• तु: Sambandha (Discourse particle/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: तु (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय (निपात/particle); विरोध/अन्वयार्थक (but/indeed)

• नव: nine
• नव: Viśeṣaṇa (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: नव (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: विशेषण; नपुंसकलिङ्गे/पुंलिङ्गे/स्त्रीलिङ्गे अव्ययवत्; समासपूर्वपद (numeral adjective)

• पाषाण: stone
• पाषाण: Samāsa-aṅga (Compound member/समासाङ्ग)
• Type: Noun
• Root: पाषाण (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग; समासाङ्ग (stone)

• मध्ये: in the middle
• मध्ये: Adhikaraṇa (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: मध्य (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग; सप्तमी (7th/सप्तमी), एकवचन; अधिकरण (locative)

• नवपाषाणमध्ये: in the midst of nine stones
• नवपाषाणमध्ये: Adhikaraṇa (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: नव + पाषाण + मध्य (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: तत्पुरुषसमास (षष्ठी/सप्तमी-समर्थ): ‘नवपाषाणानां मध्ये’ इति; नपुंसकलिङ्ग; सप्तमी, एकवचन

• अब्दौ: in the sea
• अब्दौ: Adhikaraṇa (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: अब्दि/अब्द (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग; सप्तमी (7th/सप्तमी), एकवचन; अधिकरण

• स्नानम्: bathing
• स्नानम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: स्नान (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग; द्वितीया (2nd/द्वितीया), एकवचन; कर्म (object)

• आचरेत्: should perform
• आचरेत्: Kriyā (Predicate/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: आ + चर् (धातु)
• Form: विधिलिङ् (optative), प्रथमपुरुष (3rd person), एकवचन; परस्मैपद; विध्यर्थ (should do)

• क्षेत्रपिण्डे: at the sacred-field mound (kṣetra-piṇḍa)
• क्षेत्रपिण्डे: Adhikaraṇa (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: क्षेत्र + पिण्ड (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: तत्पुरुषसमास: ‘क्षेत्रस्य पिण्डः’/‘क्षेत्रे पिण्डः’; पुंलिङ्ग; सप्तमी, एकवचन; अधिकरण

• ततः: then, thereafter
• ततः: Kāla-adhikaraṇa (Temporal adverbial/कालाधिकरण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: ततः (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय (क्रियाविशेषण); अनन्तरम् (thereafter)

• कुर्यात्: should do
• कुर्यात्: Kriyā (Predicate/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: कृ (धातु)
• Form: विधिलिङ् (optative), प्रथमपुरुष, एकवचन; परस्मैपद

• चक्रतीर्थे: at the Cakra-tīrtha
• चक्रतीर्थे: Adhikaraṇa (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: चक्र + तीर्थ (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: तत्पुरुषसमास: ‘चक्रस्य तीर्थम्’; नपुंसकलिङ्ग; सप्तमी, एकवचन; अधिकरण

• तथा: thus, likewise
• तथा: Sambandha (Manner adverbial/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: तथा (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय (क्रियाविशेषण); एवमेव (thus)

• एव: indeed, just
• एव: Sambandha (Emphatic particle/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: एव (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय (निपात); अवधारण (emphasis/only)

• च: and
• च: Sambandha (Conjunction/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: च (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय (समुच्चय/ conjunction)

Speaker

Sūta (deduced: Sūta narrating Setu Māhātmya to the Ṛṣis)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Navapāṣāṇa-snāna (Setu-samudra) and Cakra-tīrtha

Type: kshetra

Visual Art Cues

Scene: Pilgrims waist-deep in the sea between nine dark stone markers; after bathing, they sit on the shore preparing piṇḍas, then proceed to a smaller shrine/pond labeled Cakra-tīrtha.

Characters & Entities

• Ocean (Abdhi)
• Navapāṣāṇa (Nine Stones)
• Cakra-tīrtha

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Pilgrimage is meant to be performed with ordered rites—beginning with purification by sacred bathing, then completing prescribed offerings at consecrated tīrthas.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

The Setu region’s ocean-bathing spot associated with the Navapāṣāṇa (Nine Stones) and the sacred Cakra-tīrtha.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

Snāna (ocean bath) first, followed by kṣetra-piṇḍa (a prescribed offering/rite), and similarly at Cakra-tīrtha.