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

സ്വപാപപരിശുദ്ധിക്കായി സേതുനാഥനായ ഹരിയെ ആരാധിക്കണം. ഇങ്ങനെ ആ പുണ്യമാർഗ്ഗത്തിലൂടെ പോകുന്നവർ ദർഭശയ്യയിൽ വിശ്രമിച്ചുകൊണ്ട് ഇതു ചെയ്യണം.

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.