Skanda Purana — Brahma Khanda, Shloka 73

Devanagari script

सेतौ संकल्पमुक्त्वा तु नियमेन परावसुः । सह भ्रात्रा धनुष्कोटौ सस्नौ पातकशुद्धये

Transliteration

setau saṃkalpamuktvā tu niyamena parāvasuḥ | saha bhrātrā dhanuṣkoṭau sasnau pātakaśuddhaye

Translation

സേതുവിൽ പരാവസു സംकल्पം ചെയ്ത് നിയമം അനുസരിച്ച്, സഹോദരനോടൊപ്പം ധനുഷ്കോടിയിൽ പാപശുദ്ധിക്കായി സ്നാനം ചെയ്തു।

Word by Word

• सेतौ: on the bridge (Setu)
• सेतौ: Adhikarana (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: सेतु (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, सप्तमी (7th/अधिकरण), एकवचन

• संकल्पम्: a vow; resolve
• संकल्पम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: संकल्प (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd/कर्म), एकवचन

• उक्त्वा: having uttered
• उक्त्वा: Kriya (Gerundial action)
• Type: Verb
• Root: वच् (धातु)
• Form: क्त्वान्त (absolutive/gerund), अव्ययभाव; धातु: वच् (2P)

• तु: but; then
• तु: Sambandha (Discourse particle)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: तु (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय (निपात/particle) — विरोध/अन्वयार्थे

• नियमेन: by observance; with discipline
• नियमेन: Karana (Instrument/करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: नियम (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, तृतीया (3rd/करण), एकवचन

• परावसुः: Parāvasu
• परावसुः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: परावसु (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/कर्ता), एकवचन

• सह: together with
• सह: Sahakari (Accompaniment/सहकारि)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: सह (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय (उपसर्गवत्/सह-योगे) — ‘with’

• भ्रात्रा: with (his) brother
• भ्रात्रा: Sahakari (Accompaniment/सहकारि)
• Type: Noun
• Root: भ्रातृ (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, तृतीया (3rd/सह), एकवचन

• धनुष्कोटौ: at Dhanuskoṭi
• धनुष्कोटौ: Adhikarana (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: धनुष्कोटि (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, सप्तमी (7th/अधिकरण), एकवचन

• सस्नौ: bathed
• सस्नौ: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: स्ना (धातु)
• Form: लिट् (परोक्षभूत/Perfect), प्रथमपुरुष, एकवचन; आत्मनेपदम्

• पातक-शुद्धये: for purification from sin
• पातक-शुद्धये: Sampradana (Purpose/सम्प्रदान)
• Type: Noun
• Root: पातक (प्रातिपदिक) + शुद्धि (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, चतुर्थी (4th/सम्प्रदान), एकवचन; षष्ठी-तत्पुरुषः— ‘पातकस्य शुद्धिः’ (दत्त्यर्थे)

Speaker

Purāṇic narrator

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Setu–Dhanuṣkoṭi

Type: ghat

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: Brāhmaṇas/sages (addressed as ‘viprāḥ’)

Visual Art Cues

Scene: At the Setu shore, Parāvasu performs saṅkalpa with joined palms, then both brothers enter the sea for ritual bathing, austere and focused on purification.

Characters & Entities

• Setu
• Parāvasu
• Dhanuṣkoṭi
• Arvāvasu

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Purification is strengthened by saṃkalpa (intent) and niyama (discipline), not by the act alone.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

Setu and Dhanuṣkoṭi, where the purifying bath is performed.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

Make a saṃkalpa, follow niyamas, and perform snāna at Dhanuṣkoṭi for pātaka-śuddhi.