Skanda Purana — Brahma Khanda, Shloka 89

Devanagari script

तथा पुण्यानि वर्द्धंते सेतुस्नानेन वै द्विजाः । काम धेनुर्यथा लोके सर्वाकामान्प्रयच्छति

Transliteration

tathā puṇyāni varddhaṃte setusnānena vai dvijāḥ | kāma dhenuryathā loke sarvākāmānprayacchati

Translation

Ainsi, ô deux-fois-nés, les mérites s’accroissent par le bain à Setu. De même que Kāmadhenu, en ce monde, accorde tous les désirs,

Word by Word

• tathā: thus, likewise
• tathā: Sambandha (Adverbial/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: tathā (अव्यय)
• Form: तद्वत्/एवम्-वाचक अव्यय (thus, in the same way)

• puṇyāni: merits, virtuous results
• puṇyāni: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: puṇya (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग (Neuter), प्रथमा (Nominative/1st), बहुवचन (Plural)

• varddhante: increase
• varddhante: Kriya (Verb/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: vṛdh (धातु)
• Form: लट् (Present), प्रथमपुरुष (3rd person), बहुवचन (Plural), आत्मनेपद

• setu-snānena: by bathing at Setu
• setu-snānena: Karana (Instrument/करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: setu (प्रातिपदिक) + snāna (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग (Neuter), तृतीया (Instrumental/3rd), एकवचन (Singular)

• vai: indeed
• vai: Sambandha (Emphasis)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: vai (अव्यय)
• Form: निश्चयार्थक अव्यय (indeed, surely)

• dvijāḥ: O twice-born (brahmins)
• dvijāḥ: Sambodhana (Address/सम्बोधन)
• Type: Noun
• Root: dvija (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग (Masculine), प्रथमा (Nominative/1st), बहुवचन (Plural); संबोधनार्थे प्रयोगः (addressing)

• kāma-dhenuḥ: the wish-fulfilling cow
• kāma-dhenuḥ: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: kāma (प्रातिपदिक) + dhenu (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग (Feminine), प्रथमा (Nominative/1st), एकवचन (Singular)

• yathā: as
• yathā: Sambandha (Comparison marker)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: yathā (अव्यय)
• Form: उपमानवाचक अव्यय (as)

• loke: in the world
• loke: Adhikarana (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: loka (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग (Masculine), सप्तमी (Locative/7th), एकवचन (Singular)

• sarva-kāmān: all desires
• sarva-kāmān: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: sarva (प्रातिपदिक) + kāma (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग (Masculine), द्वितीया (Accusative/2nd), बहुवचन (Plural)

• prayacchati: grants, bestows
• prayacchati: Kriya (Verb/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: pra + yam (धातु)
• Form: लट् (Present), प्रथमपुरुष (3rd person), एकवचन (Singular), परस्मैपद

Speaker

Sūta (Lomaharṣaṇa) (deduced for Brāhma Khaṇḍa Setu-māhātmya style narration)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Setutīrtha (Setu)

Type: kshetra

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: dvijāḥ (explicit)

Visual Art Cues

Scene: At Setu’s shore, priests guide dvijas into the water; above, a radiant kāmadhenu appears as a symbolic overlay, indicating that Setu-snānā grants all rightful desires and multiplies merit.

Characters & Entities

• Rāmasetu (Setu)
• Kāmadhenu

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Sacred bathing is praised as a multiplier of merit and a support for legitimate aims, comparable to mythic sources of abundance.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

Setu/Rāmasetu, through the explicit mention of Setu-snāna.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

Setu-snāna (bathing at Setu) as a means to increase puṇya.