Skanda Purana — Brahma Khanda, Shloka 68

Devanagari script

सेतुनाथं हरिं सेवेत्स्वपापपरिशुद्धये । एवं हि दर्भशय्यायां कुर्युस्तन्मार्गतो गताः

Transliteration

setunāthaṃ hariṃ sevetsvapāpapariśuddhaye | evaṃ hi darbhaśayyāyāṃ kuryustanmārgato gatāḥ

Translation

Que l’on serve Hari, Seigneur de Setu, pour la purification totale de ses propres fautes. Ainsi, ceux qui cheminent par cette voie sacrée doivent agir, reposant sur une couche d’herbe darbha.

Word by Word

• सेतुनाथम्: Setunātha (Lord of the bridge)
• सेतुनाथम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: सेतु + नाथ (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: तत्पुरुषसमास: ‘सेतोः नाथः’; पुंलिङ्ग; द्वितीया, एकवचन; कर्म

• हरिम्: Hari (Vishnu)
• हरिम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: हरि (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग; द्वितीया, एकवचन; कर्म; सेतुनाथस्य विशेष्य (apposition)

• सेवेत्: should worship
• सेवेत्: Kriyā (Predicate/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: सेव् (धातु)
• Form: विधिलिङ्, प्रथमपुरुष, एकवचन; आत्मनेपद; (should worship/serve)

• स्व: one's own
• स्व: Viśeṣaṇa (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: स्व (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक; समासपूर्वपद; ‘own’ अर्थे

• पाप: sin
• पाप: Samāsa-aṅga (Compound member/समासाङ्ग)
• Type: Noun
• Root: पाप (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग; समासाङ्ग

• परिशुद्धये: for purification
• परिशुद्धये: Sampradāna (Purpose/सम्प्रदान)
• Type: Noun
• Root: परि + शुद्धि (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग; चतुर्थी (4th/चतुर्थी), एकवचन; प्रयोजन/सम्प्रदान (for the sake of)

• स्वपापपरिशुद्धये: for purification of one's sins
• स्वपापपरिशुद्धये: Sampradāna (Purpose/सम्प्रदान)
• Type: Noun
• Root: स्व + पाप + परिशुद्धि (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: तत्पुरुषसमास (षष्ठी/सम्बन्ध): ‘स्वस्य पापस्य परिशुद्धिः’ इति; स्त्रीलिङ्ग; चतुर्थी, एकवचन

• एवम्: thus
• एवम्: Sambandha (Manner adverbial/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: एवम् (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय (क्रियाविशेषण); प्रकारे (thus)

• हि: indeed
• हि: Sambandha (Particle/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: हि (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय (निपात); हेत्वर्थ/निश्चय (indeed/for)

• दर्भशय्यायाम्: on a bed of darbha grass
• दर्भशय्यायाम्: Adhikaraṇa (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: दर्भ + शय्या (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: तत्पुरुषसमास: ‘दर्भाणां शय्या’; स्त्रीलिङ्ग; सप्तमी, एकवचन; अधिकरण

• कुर्युः: they should do
• कुर्युः: Kriyā (Predicate/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: कृ (धातु)
• Form: विधिलिङ्, प्रथमपुरुष, बहुवचन; परस्मैपद

• तत्: that
• तत्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: तद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग; द्वितीया, एकवचन; कर्म (that [act])

• मार्गतः: by the path, along the route
• मार्गतः: Apādāna (Source/अपादान)
• Type: Noun
• Root: मार्ग (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग; पञ्चमी (5th/पञ्चमी), एकवचन; अपादान (from/by way of the path)

• तन्मार्गतः: by that route
• तन्मार्गतः: Apādāna (Source/Route/अपादान)
• Type: Noun
• Root: तद् + मार्ग (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: तत्पुरुषसमास: ‘तत् मार्गतः’ (that route); पञ्चमी, एकवचन; अपादान/क्रियाविशेषणभाव

• गताः: having gone, who have proceeded
• गताः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: गम् (धातु) + गत (कृदन्त)
• Form: क्त (past passive participle); पुंलिङ्ग; प्रथमा, बहुवचन; विशेषण (those who have gone)

Speaker

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

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Setunātha (Hari) at Setu

Type: kshetra

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A pilgrim group walking the sandy Setu route with staffs and waterpots; at dusk they worship a small icon of Hari/Setunātha, then lie on darbha mats under open sky.

Characters & Entities

• Setunātha
• Hari (Viṣṇu)
• Darbha grass

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Devotion to the presiding deity of a tīrtha—here Setunātha Hari—combined with disciplined conduct is presented as a purifier of sin.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

Setu (Setubandha/Rāma-setu region), honoring Setunātha as the tīrtha’s lord.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

Worship (sevā) of Setunātha Hari and the observance of austerity/discipline such as resting on darbha grass during the pilgrimage route.