Skanda Purana — Brahma Khanda, Shloka 10

Devanagari script

सेतुमूलं हि तत्प्रोक्तं तद्दर्भशयनं मतम् । तत्रैव चक्रतीर्थं तु महापातकमर्द्दनम्

Transliteration

setumūlaṃ hi tatproktaṃ taddarbhaśayanaṃ matam | tatraiva cakratīrthaṃ tu mahāpātakamarddanam

Translation

ആ സ്ഥലം ‘സേതുമൂലം’ എന്നു പ്രസിദ്ധമാണ്; അതിനെ ‘ദർഭശയനം’ എന്നും അംഗീകരിക്കുന്നു. അവിടെയേ ചക്രതീർത്ഥം ഉണ്ട്—മഹാപാതകങ്ങളെ നശിപ്പിക്കുന്ന പരമ പാവന തീർത്ഥം.

Word by Word

• सेतुमूलम्: the root/base of the bridge
• सेतुमूलम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: सेतु (प्रातिपदिक) + मूल (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया (1/2), एकवचन; षष्ठी-तत्पुरुषः (सेतोः मूलम्)

• हि: indeed/for
• हि: Sambandha (Discourse particle/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: हि (अव्यय)
• Form: निपात (particle), अव्यय; हेत्वर्थ/समर्थक

• तत्: that
• तत्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: तद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया (1/2), एकवचन; सर्वनाम

• प्रोक्तम्: declared/said
• प्रोक्तम्: Kriya (Predicate/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: प्र + वच् (धातु) → प्रोक्त (कृदन्त)
• Form: भूतकर्मणि कृदन्त (क्त-प्रत्यय), नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया, एकवचन; कर्मणि प्रयोगे ‘said/declared’

• तत्: that
• तत्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: तद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया (1/2), एकवचन; सर्वनाम

• दर्भशयनम्: a bed of darbha grass
• दर्भशयनम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: दर्भ (प्रातिपदिक) + शयन (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया (1/2), एकवचन; षष्ठी-तत्पुरुषः (दर्भस्य शयनम्)

• मतम्: is considered
• मतम्: Kriya (Predicate/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: मन् (धातु) → मत (कृदन्त)
• Form: भूतकर्मणि कृदन्त (क्त-प्रत्यय), नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया, एकवचन; ‘considered/held as’

• तत्र: there
• तत्र: Adhikarana (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: तत्र (अव्यय)
• Form: देशवाचक अव्यय (locative adverb)

• एव: only/indeed
• एव: Sambandha (Discourse particle/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: एव (अव्यय)
• Form: अवधारण-निपात (emphatic particle)

• चक्रतीर्थम्: the Chakra-tīrtha
• चक्रतीर्थम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: चक्र (प्रातिपदिक) + तीर्थ (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया (1/2), एकवचन; षष्ठी-तत्पुरुषः (चक्रस्य तीर्थम्)

• तु: but/and indeed
• तु: Sambandha (Discourse particle/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: तु (अव्यय)
• Form: विरोध/विशेषार्थक निपात (contrastive particle)

• महापातकमर्द्दनम्: destroyer of great sins
• महापातकमर्द्दनम्: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: महापातक (प्रातिपदिक) + मर्द्दन (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया (1/2), एकवचन; षष्ठी-तत्पुरुषः (महापातकस्य मर्द्दनम्)

Speaker

Sūta (Lomaharṣaṇa) to the sages (contextual deduction)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Cakratīrtha at Setumūla

Type: kshetra

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: brāhmaṇas

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A coastal sacred landscape at Setu’s ‘root’: pale sand, darbha-grass spread like a ritual bed, a shining tīrtha-pool named Cakra, with pilgrims bathing while a subtle divine discus motif glows above the waters.

Characters & Entities

• Setu-mūla
• Darbha-śayana
• Cakra-tīrtha

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

The tīrtha is portrayed as a dharmic remedy: sincere approach to a sanctified place can dissolve even heavy moral burdens.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

Cakra-tīrtha at the Setu-mūla (the foundational point of Setu), also associated with ‘Darbha-śayana’.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

Implied tīrtha-sevā such as snāna and pilgrimage at Cakra-tīrtha for removal of mahāpātakas (great sins).