Skanda Purana — Brahma Khanda, Shloka 70

Devanagari script

सेतुमादौ नमस्कुर्याद्रामं ध्यायन्हृदा तदा । रघुवीरपदन्यास पवित्रीकृतपांसवे

Transliteration

setumādau namaskuryādrāmaṃ dhyāyanhṛdā tadā | raghuvīrapadanyāsa pavitrīkṛtapāṃsave

Translation

ആദ്യം സേതുവിനെ നമസ്കരിച്ച്, തുടർന്ന് ഹൃദയത്തിൽ രാമനെ ധ്യാനിക്കണം—രഘുവീരന്റെ പാദമുദ്രകളാൽ പവിത്രമായ ധൂളിയുള്ള സേതുവിനെ.

Word by Word

• सेतुम्: the bridge (Setu)
• सेतुम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: सेतु (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग; द्वितीया, एकवचन; कर्म

• आदौ: at first
• आदौ: Kāla-adhikaraṇa (Temporal adverbial/कालाधिकरण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: आदि (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: अव्यय (क्रियाविशेषण); प्रारम्भे

• नमस्कुर्यात्: should bow to
• नमस्कुर्यात्: Kriyā (Predicate/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: नमस् + कृ (धातु)
• Form: विधिलिङ्, प्रथमपुरुष, एकवचन; परस्मैपद; नामधातु-प्रयोग (should bow)

• रामम्: Rama
• रामम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: राम (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग; द्वितीया, एकवचन; कर्म

• ध्यायन्: meditating
• ध्यायन्: Karta (Subject qualifier/कर्ता)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: ध्यै (धातु) + ध्यायन् (कृदन्त)
• Form: शतृ (present active participle); पुंलिङ्ग; प्रथमा, एकवचन; कर्तृविशेषण (while meditating)

• हृदा: with the heart
• हृदा: Karaṇa (Instrument/करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: हृद् (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग; तृतीया, एकवचन; करण (with the heart/mind)

• तदा: then
• तदा: Kāla-adhikaraṇa (Temporal adverbial/कालाधिकरण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: तदा (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय (कालवाचक); तस्मिन् काले (then)

• रघुवीर: Raghu-hero (Rama)
• रघुवीर: Samāsa-aṅga (Compound member/समासाङ्ग)
• Type: Noun
• Root: रघु + वीर (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: तत्पुरुष/कर्मधारयभाव: ‘रघोः वीरः’ (hero of Raghu-line); समासाङ्ग

• पदन्यास: footstep, placing of feet
• पदन्यास: Samāsa-aṅga (Compound member/समासाङ्ग)
• Type: Noun
• Root: पद + न्यास (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: तत्पुरुषसमास: ‘पदानां न्यासः’ (placing of feet); समासाङ्ग

• रघुवीरपदन्यास: O (Setu) sanctified by Rama's footsteps
• रघुवीरपदन्यास: Sambodhana (Vocative address/सम्बोधन)
• Type: Noun
• Root: रघुवीर + पदन्यास (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: तत्पुरुषसमास: ‘रघुवीरस्य पदन्यासः’; पुंलिङ्ग; (सम्बोधन/प्रथमा) एकवचन; अत्र सम्बोधनार्थे (O ...)

• पवित्रीकृत: purified, made holy
• पवित्रीकृत: Viśeṣaṇa (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: पवित्री + कृ (धातु) + कृत (कृदन्त)
• Form: क्त (PPP) of causative/denominative ‘पवित्रीकृ’ (to purify); समासाङ्ग

• पांसवे: to the dust (sand)
• पांसवे: Sambodhana (Vocative sense/सम्बोधन)
• Type: Noun
• Root: पांसु (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग; चतुर्थी/सप्तमी, एकवचन; अत्र सम्बोधन-समर्थ (to/for the dust)

• पवित्रीकृतपांसवे: O (place/Setu) whose dust is purified
• पवित्रीकृतपांसवे: Sambodhana (Vocative address/सम्बोधन)
• Type: Noun
• Root: पवित्रीकृत + पांसु (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: तत्पुरुषसमास: ‘पवित्रीकृतः पांसुः यस्य/यत्र’ इति; पुंलिङ्ग; सम्बोधन (vocative) एकवचन (हे ...); (addressing the Setu/region)

Speaker

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

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Setubandha (Setu) — Raghuvīra-pada-nyāsa-pavitra

Type: kshetra

Visual Art Cues

Scene: At dawn, a pilgrim bows to the long arc of Setu; close-up of footprints impressed in sand/stone; dust rising like a halo as the pilgrim meditates on Rāma in the heart.

Characters & Entities

• Setu
• Rāma
• Raghuvīra (Rāma)

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Sacred geography becomes spiritually potent through divine contact; the pilgrim honors the place and internalizes devotion through meditation.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

Setu/Setubandha, revered as sanctified by Rāma’s footfall.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

Begin with namaskāra to Setu and perform heart-centered meditation (dhyāna) on Rāma.