Skanda Purana — Brahma Khanda, Shloka 49

Devanagari script

तावतां ब्रह्महत्यानां नाशः स्यान्नात्र संशयः । सेतुमध्यस्थ वातेन यस्यांगं स्पृश्यतेऽखिलम्

Transliteration

tāvatāṃ brahmahatyānāṃ nāśaḥ syānnātra saṃśayaḥ | setumadhyastha vātena yasyāṃgaṃ spṛśyate'khilam

Translation

Sans aucun doute, d’innombrables fautes de meurtre d’un brāhmane sont anéanties. Et celui dont tout le corps est effleuré par le vent soufflant au milieu de Setu,

Word by Word

• तावताम्: of that many
• तावताम्: Sambandha (Genitive/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: तावत् (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्गे षष्ठी बहुवचनम् — ‘of so many’

• ब्रह्महत्यानाम्: of (sins of) brahmin-slaying
• ब्रह्महत्यानाम्: Sambandha (Genitive/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: ब्रह्महत्या (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्गे षष्ठी बहुवचनम् — ‘of Brahmin-slayings’; समासः: ब्रह्मन् + हत्या (षष्ठी-तत्पुरुष)

• नाशः: destruction, removal
• नाशः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: नाश (प्रातिपदिक; √नश् धातु)
• Form: पुंलिङ्गे प्रथमा एकवचनम् — ‘destruction’

• स्यात्: would be, occurs
• स्यात्: Kriyā (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: √अस् (धातु)
• Form: विधिलिङ् (Optative), परस्मैपदम्, प्रथमपुरुषः, एकवचनम् — ‘would be/should occur’

• न: no, not
• न: Pratiṣedha (Negation/प्रतिषेध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: न (अव्यय)
• Form: निषेधार्थक अव्यय

• अत्र: here
• अत्र: Adhikaraṇa (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: अत्र (अव्यय)
• Form: देशवाचक अव्यय (adverb of place) — ‘here’

• संशयः: doubt
• संशयः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: संशय (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्गे प्रथमा एकवचनम् — ‘doubt’

• सेतु: of Setu
• सेतु: Sambandha (Genitive/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: सेतु (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्गे षष्ठी एकवचनम् (समासे पूर्वपद-रूपम्) — ‘of Setu’

• मध्यस्थ: situated in the middle
• मध्यस्थ: Viśeṣaṇa (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: मध्यस्थ (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्गे तृतीया एकवचनम् (समासे पूर्वपद-रूपम्); समासः: मध्य + स्थ (तत्पुरुष) — ‘situated in the middle’

• वातेन: by the wind
• वातेन: Karaṇa (Instrument/करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: वात (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्गे तृतीया एकवचनम् — ‘by wind’

• यस्य: whose
• यस्य: Sambandha (Genitive/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: यद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्गे षष्ठी एकवचनम् — relative ‘whose’

• अङ्गम्: body
• अङ्गम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: अङ्ग (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्गे द्वितीया एकवचनम् — ‘body/limb’

• स्पृश्यते: is touched
• स्पृश्यते: Kriyā (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: √स्पृश् (धातु)
• Form: लट्-लकारः (Present), कर्मणि प्रयोगः (Passive), आत्मनेपदम्, प्रथमपुरुषः, एकवचनम् — ‘is touched’

• अखिलम्: entire, wholly
• अखिलम्: Viśeṣaṇa (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: अखिल (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्गे द्वितीया एकवचनम् — ‘entire’

Speaker

Skanda (deduced from Setu Māhātmya-style narration)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Setutīrtha (Setubandha)

Type: kshetra

Visual Art Cues

Scene: Close-up devotional allegory: sand grains on a pilgrim’s body glow like tiny lamps; a cool sea-wind sweeps over him, visualized as a translucent, purifying current; in the background, a ledger of sins dissolves or burns away.

Characters & Entities

• Setu (Setubandha)
• Brahmahatyā (sin of brahmin-slaying)

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Setu’s sanctity is portrayed as extraordinarily purifying—capable of destroying even the gravest sins—affirming faith in tīrtha-mahima and divine grace.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

Setu (Setubandha/Rāmeśvara region), especially the ‘middle of Setu’ and its sacred wind.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

Contact with Setu’s environment is praised—being touched by Setu’s wind and (contextually) Setu’s sands—along with Setu snāna in the surrounding verses.