Skanda Purana — Brahma Khanda, Shloka 53

Devanagari script

वानरैः कारयामास सेतुमब्धौ नलादिभिः । पर्वताञ्छाखिनोवृक्षान्दृषदः काष्ठसंचयान्

Transliteration

vānaraiḥ kārayāmāsa setumabdhau nalādibhiḥ | parvatāñchākhinovṛkṣāndṛṣadaḥ kāṣṭhasaṃcayān

Translation

Il fit bâtir dans l’océan le pont par les vānaras, sous la conduite de Nala et d’autres, avec des montagnes, des arbres aux branches déployées, des rochers et des amas de bois.

Word by Word

• vānaraiḥ: by the monkeys
• vānaraiḥ: Karaṇa (Instrument/करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: vānara (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, तृतीया-विभक्ति (Instrumental), बहुवचन

• kārayāmāsa: caused (them) to build
• kārayāmāsa: Kriyā (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: kṛ (धातु) + ṇic (प्रेरण)
• Form: लिट् (Perfect), प्रथमपुरुष, एकवचन; णिजन्त (causative) ‘caused to be done’

• setum: the bridge
• setum: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: setu (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति, एकवचन

• abdhau: in the ocean
• abdhau: Adhikaraṇa (Locus/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: abdhi (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, सप्तमी-विभक्ति (Locative), एकवचन

• nalādibhiḥ: by Nala and others
• nalādibhiḥ: Karaṇa (Instrument/करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: nala + ādi (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, तृतीया-विभक्ति, बहुवचन; समाहार/गणवाचक ‘Nala and others’

• parvatān: mountains
• parvatān: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: parvata (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति, बहुवचन

• śākhinaḥ: branchy trees
• śākhinaḥ: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: śākhin (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति, बहुवचन (शाखिन्-शब्द)

• vṛkṣān: trees
• vṛkṣān: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: vṛkṣa (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति, बहुवचन

• dṛṣadaḥ: rocks / stones
• dṛṣadaḥ: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: dṛṣad (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति, बहुवचन (दृषद्-शब्द)

• kāṣṭhasaṃcayān: piles of timber
• kāṣṭhasaṃcayān: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: kāṣṭha + saṃcaya (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति, बहुवचन; षष्ठी-तत्पुरुष ‘heaps of wood’

Speaker

Sūta (Lomaharṣaṇa) narrating (deduced)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Setubandha

Type: kshetra

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: Vipras/ṛṣis

Visual Art Cues

Scene: Vānaras under Nala’s direction haul mountains, uprooted trees with branching canopies, boulders, and timber piles toward the roaring sea; rhythmic teamwork and engineering order amid chaos.

Characters & Entities

• Vānaras
• Nala
• Setu
• Ocean (Abdhi)

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Collective effort under dharmic leadership can transform nature’s resources into a sacred bridge toward righteous victory.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

Setubandha (the ocean-bridge) central to the Setukhaṇḍa sacred geography.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

No explicit ritual; it narrates the dharmic construction of the Setu and its sanctified context.