Skanda Purana — Brahma Khanda, Shloka 72

Devanagari script

सीताया मानसांभोजभानवे सेतवे नमः । साष्टांगं प्रणिपत्यादौ मंत्रेणानेन वै द्विजाः

Transliteration

sītāyā mānasāṃbhojabhānave setave namaḥ | sāṣṭāṃgaṃ praṇipatyādau maṃtreṇānena vai dvijāḥ

Translation

Hommage au Setu, soleil du lotus de l’esprit de Sītā. Ô deux-fois-nés, d’abord prosternez-vous entièrement selon les huit membres, puis adorez par ce mantra même.

Word by Word

• सीतायाः: of Sītā
• सीतायाः: Sambandha (Genitive relation/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: सीता (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, षष्ठी-विभक्ति (6th/Genitive), एकवचन

• मानस-अम्भोज-भानवे: to the sun of the mind-lotus
• मानस-अम्भोज-भानवे: Sampradana (Recipient/सम्प्रदान)
• Type: Noun
• Root: मानस (प्रातिपदिक) + अम्भोज (प्रातिपदिक) + भानु (प्रातिपदिक) (समास)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, चतुर्थी-विभक्ति (4th/Dative), एकवचन; समासः—षष्ठी/सप्तमी-तत्पुरुष (मानसे अम्भोजे भानुः = ‘sun to the lotus in the mind’)

• सेतवे: to the bridge (Setu)
• सेतवे: Sampradana (Recipient/सम्प्रदान)
• Type: Noun
• Root: सेतु (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, चतुर्थी-विभक्ति (4th/Dative), एकवचन

• नमः: salutation
• नमः: Prayojana/Address (Salutation/नमस्कार)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: नमस् (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: अव्यय (निपात/उद्गार), दत्तिवाचक-प्रयोगः (used with dative)

• स-अष्टाङ्गम्: with eight limbs (prostration)
• स-अष्टाङ्गम्: Kriya-vishesana (Manner/क्रियाविशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: स (अव्यय/उपसर्गसदृश) + अष्टाङ्ग (प्रातिपदिक) (समास)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति (2nd/Accusative), एकवचन; अव्ययीभावः—‘सह अष्टाङ्गेन’

• प्रणिपत्य: having prostrated
• प्रणिपत्य: Purvakala-kriya (Prior action)
• Type: Verb
• Root: प्र + नि + पत् (धातु)
• Form: क्त्वान्त-अव्यय (Gerund/Absolutive), पूर्वकालिक-क्रिया (having done)

• आदौ: at the beginning
• आदौ: Adhikarana (Locative sense/अधिकरण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: आदि (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: अव्यय (क्रियाविशेषण), स्थान/कालवाचक

• मन्त्रेण: by (this) mantra
• मन्त्रेण: Karana (Instrument/करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: मन्त्र (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, तृतीया-विभक्ति (3rd/Instrumental), एकवचन

• अनेन: by this
• अनेन: Karana (Instrument/करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: इदम् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुं/नपुंसक, तृतीया-विभक्ति (3rd/Instrumental), एकवचन

• वै: indeed
• वै: Discourse particle (Emphasis)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: वै (निपात)
• Form: अव्यय (निपात), अवधारण/सम्भावनार्थ

• द्विजाः: Brahmins (twice-born)
• द्विजाः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: द्विज (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति (1st/Nominative), बहुवचन

Speaker

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

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Setu (Setubandha/Rāma-setu)

Type: kshetra

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: Ṛṣis/assembled dvijas

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A pilgrim-brāhmaṇa performs aṣṭāṅga-pranāma on the sandy shore before the sacred Setu; the ocean glows like a sunlit path; Sītā’s inner lotus is evoked as a radiant motif above the horizon.

Characters & Entities

• Setu
• Sītā
• Mantra
• Dvitīya-janma (Dwijas)

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

The tīrtha is adored through poetic devotion and approached with humility—prostration and mantra unite reverence with ritual correctness.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

Setu/Setubandha, praised with an epithet linking it to Sītā’s inner devotion.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

Perform sāṣṭāṅga praṇipāta first, and employ the given mantra for worship/salutation.