Skanda Purana — Brahma Khanda, Shloka 35

Devanagari script

तमुपायं वदस्वाद्य त्वं हि पुण्यवतां वरः । अनाथान्कृपणानज्ञान्बालान्रोगातुराञ्जनान्

Transliteration

tamupāyaṃ vadasvādya tvaṃ hi puṇyavatāṃ varaḥ | anāthānkṛpaṇānajñānbālānrogāturāñjanān

Translation

Katakanlah kepada kami hari ini jalan pembebasan itu; kerana engkau yang utama dalam kalangan orang yang berpunya. Para sadhu melindungi yang tiada tempat bergantung, yang miskin, yang jahil, kanak-kanak, dan mereka yang ditimpa penyakit.

Word by Word

• तम्: him/that
• तम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: tad (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग/नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति (कर्म), एकवचन; Pronoun ‘that/him/it’, Accusative Singular

• उपायम्: means, method
• उपायम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: upāya (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति, एकवचन; Accusative Singular

• वदस्व: tell, speak
• वदस्व: Kriyā (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: vad (धातु)
• Form: लोट्-लकार (आज्ञार्थ), मध्यम-पुरुष, एकवचन; Imperative 2nd sg (Ātmanepada)

• आद्य: O foremost
• आद्य: Sambodhana (Address/सम्बोधन)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: ādya (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: अव्यय; संबोधनार्थ/सम्बोधन-प्रयोगे ‘O first/foremost’ (vocative sense)

• त्वम्: you
• त्वम्: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: tvad (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: उत्तम-पुरुष-सर्वनाम, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन; Nominative Singular

• हि: indeed, for
• हि: Sambandha (Particle/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: hi (अव्यय)
• Form: निपात (particle), हेत्वर्थ/निश्चयार्थ; emphatic/causal particle

• पुण्यवताम्: of the virtuous
• पुण्यवताम्: Sambandha (Genitive/षष्ठी)
• Type: Noun
• Root: puṇyavat (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, षष्ठी-विभक्ति, बहुवचन; Genitive Plural (‘of the virtuous’)

• वरः: the best, excellent one
• वरः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: vara (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन; Nominative Singular

• अनाथान्: the helpless
• अनाथान्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: anātha (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति, बहुवचन; Accusative Plural

• कृपणान्: the wretched/poor
• कृपणान्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: kṛpaṇa (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति, बहुवचन; Accusative Plural

• अज्ञान्: the ignorant
• अज्ञान्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: ajña (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति, बहुवचन; Accusative Plural

• बालान्: children
• बालान्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: bāla (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति, बहुवचन; Accusative Plural

• रोगातुरान्: those afflicted by disease
• रोगातुरान्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: roga + ātura (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: तत्पुरुष-समास (रोगेण आतुराः), पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति, बहुवचन; Accusative Plural

• जनान्: people
• जनान्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: jana (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति, बहुवचन; Accusative Plural

Speaker

Sṛgāla and Vānara (petitioners; implied)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Setukṣetra / Setubandha

Type: kshetra

Visual Art Cues

Scene: Two distressed animals (a monkey and a jackal) petition a serene sage for the ‘means’ of deliverance; the sage embodies protective holiness, with a coastal/riverine tīrtha ambience suggestive of Setu.

Characters & Entities

• Sādhu (the virtuous)

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

True merit (puṇya) expresses itself as compassion—protecting and uplifting the vulnerable.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

The verse sets the ethical tone; the specific tīrtha is introduced in the following verses as Dhanuṣkoṭi at Setu/Rāmeśvaram region.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

None directly here; it is a request to reveal an upāya (remedy), which later becomes a prescription of tīrtha-snān (sacred bathing).