Skanda Purana — Brahma Khanda, Shloka 61

Devanagari script

यत्सेतुमूलं गच्छंति येन मार्गेण वै नराः । तत्तन्मार्गगतास्ते ते तस्मिंस्तस्मिन्विमुक्तिदे

Transliteration

yatsetumūlaṃ gacchaṃti yena mārgeṇa vai narāḥ | tattanmārgagatāste te tasmiṃstasminvimuktide

Translation

മനുഷ്യർ ഏത് ഏത് സേതുമൂലത്തിലേക്കു പോകുന്നുവോ, ഏത് ഏത് മാർഗ്ഗത്തിലൂടെയോ സഞ്ചരിക്കുന്നുവോ, ആ ആ മാർഗ്ഗത്തിൽ നടന്നവർ അവിടവിടെ (ഓരോ പുണ്യസ്ഥാനത്തും) മോക്ഷം പ്രാപിക്കുന്നു.

Word by Word

• यत्: which
• यत्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: यद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति (2nd/द्वितीया), एकवचन; सम्बन्धसूचक (relative)

• सेतुमूलम्: the bridge-base
• सेतुमूलम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: सेतुमूल (प्रातिपदिक; सेतु + मूल)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति, एकवचन; कर्म

• गच्छन्ति: go
• गच्छन्ति: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: गम् (धातु)
• Form: लट् (present indicative), प्रथमपुरुष, बहुवचन; परस्मैपद

• येन: by which
• येन: Karana (Instrument/Means/करण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: यद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुं/नपुंसकलिङ्ग, तृतीया-विभक्ति (3rd/तृतीया), एकवचन; करण (instrumental)

• मार्गेण: by the path/route
• मार्गेण: Karana (Instrument/Means/करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: मार्ग (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, तृतीया-विभक्ति, एकवचन; करण (means: ‘by the path/route’)

• वै: indeed
• वै: Avyaya (Particle/निपात)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: वै (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; निपात (emphatic particle)

• नराः: men/people
• नराः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: नर (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, बहुवचन; कर्ता

• तत्: that
• तत्: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: तद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया, एकवचन; निर्देश (correlative)

• तत्: each
• तत्: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: तद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया, एकवचन; पुनरुक्ति-बल (distributive: ‘each’)

• मार्गगताः: having taken that respective path
• मार्गगताः: Kriya (Predicate/विधेय)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: मार्गगत (प्रातिपदिक; मार्ग + गत)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, बहुवचन; विशेषण; ‘gone by the path/being on the path’

• ते: they
• ते: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: तद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, बहुवचन; कर्तृस्थानी (resumptive pronoun)

• ते: those (very)
• ते: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: तद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, बहुवचन; पुनरुक्ति-बल (emphasis)

• तस्मिन्: in that
• तस्मिन्: Adhikarana (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: तद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुं/नपुंसकलिङ्ग, सप्तमीविभक्ति (7th/सप्तमी), एकवचन; अधिकरण (locative)

• तस्मिन्: in each (such place)
• तस्मिन्: Adhikarana (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: तद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुं/नपुंसकलिङ्ग, सप्तमीविभक्ति, एकवचन; पुनरुक्ति-बल (distributive: ‘in each’)

• विमुक्तिदे: in (the place/deity) ‘giver of liberation’
• विमुक्तिदे: Adhikarana (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: विमुक्तिद (प्रातिपदिक; विमुक्ति + द)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, सप्तमीविभक्ति, एकवचन; अधिकरण; ‘in the giver of liberation’ (epithet/place-name)

Speaker

Skanda (deduced)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Setumūla-mārga (approach routes)

Type: kshetra

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A long pilgrimage road toward the sea with many small sacred stops—shrines, stones, wells—each glowing subtly; pilgrims walk with staffs, chanting, and receiving blessings at every point, suggesting 'mukti' distributed along the path.

Characters & Entities

• Setumūla

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

In tīrtha-yātrā, even the journey and its route become sanctified; sincere movement toward the holy confers liberating merit.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

Setumūla and the pilgrimage routes leading to it, treated as liberation-bestowing sacred spaces.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

Undertake the pilgrimage to Setumūla by a chosen route with faith; the route itself is praised as granting spiritual release.