Skanda Purana — Brahma Khanda, Shloka 45

Devanagari script

तप्तायःशयनं चैव संतप्तांबुनिषेचनम् । सूचिप्रक्षेपणं चैव नेत्रयोर्मुखसंधिषु

Transliteration

taptāyaḥśayanaṃ caiva saṃtaptāṃbuniṣecanam | sūciprakṣepaṇaṃ caiva netrayormukhasaṃdhiṣu

Translation

การนอนบนเหล็กแดงร้อน การถูกราดด้วยน้ำเดือด และการถูกเข็มทิ่มแทงเข้าไปในดวงตาและรอยต่อของปาก สิ่งเหล่านี้ถูกกล่าวขานว่าเป็นความทุกข์ทรมานในนรก

Word by Word

• तप्त: heated, burnt
• तप्त: Viśeṣaṇa (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: तप्त (कृदन्त; √तप् धातु)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्गे प्रथमा/द्वितीया एकवचनम्; भूतकृदन्त (क्त) — ‘heated/burnt’

• अयः: iron
• अयः: Sambandha (Genitive/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: अयस् (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्गे षष्ठी एकवचनम् (समासे पूर्वपद-रूपम्) — ‘of iron’

• शयनम्: bed, lying on
• शयनम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: शयन (प्रातिपदिक; √शी/शय् धातु)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्गे प्रथमा/द्वितीया एकवचनम् — ‘bed/lying’

• च: and
• च: Samuccaya (Conjunction/समुच्चय)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: च (अव्यय)
• Form: समुच्चयबोधक अव्यय (conjunction)

• एव: indeed, just
• एव: Avadhāraṇa (Emphasis/अवधारण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: एव (अव्यय)
• Form: अवधारणार्थक अव्यय (emphatic particle)

• संतप्त: thoroughly heated
• संतप्त: Viśeṣaṇa (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: संतप्त (कृदन्त; √तप् धातु, उपसर्ग सम्)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्गे प्रथमा/द्वितीया एकवचनम्; भूतकृदन्त (क्त) — ‘well-heated’

• अम्बु: water
• अम्बु: Sambandha (Genitive/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: अम्बु (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्गे षष्ठी एकवचनम् (समासे पूर्वपद-रूपम्) — ‘of water’

• निषेचनम्: sprinkling, pouring
• निषेचनम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: निषेचन (प्रातिपदिक; √सिच् धातु, उपसर्ग नि)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्गे प्रथमा/द्वितीया एकवचनम् — ‘sprinkling/pouring’

• सूचि: needle
• सूचि: Sambandha (Genitive/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: सूचि (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्गे षष्ठी एकवचनम् (समासे पूर्वपद-रूपम्) — ‘of a needle’

• प्रक्षेपणम्: inserting, thrusting
• प्रक्षेपणम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: प्रक्षेपण (प्रातिपदिक; √क्षिप् धातु, उपसर्ग प्र)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्गे प्रथमा/द्वितीया एकवचनम् — ‘throwing/inserting’

• च: and
• च: Samuccaya (Conjunction/समुच्चय)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: च (अव्यय)
• Form: समुच्चयबोधक अव्यय (conjunction)

• एव: indeed
• एव: Avadhāraṇa (Emphasis/अवधारण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: एव (अव्यय)
• Form: अवधारणार्थक अव्यय (emphatic particle)

• नेत्रयोः: in/of the two eyes
• नेत्रयोः: Adhikaraṇa (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: नेत्र (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्गे षष्ठी/सप्तमी द्विवचनम् — ‘of/in the two eyes’

• मुख: mouth, face
• मुख: Sambandha (Genitive/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: मुख (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्गे षष्ठी एकवचनम् (समासे पूर्वपद-रूपम्) — ‘of the mouth/face’

• सन्धिषु: in the joints/crevices
• सन्धिषु: Adhikaraṇa (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: सन्धि (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्गे सप्तमी बहुवचनम् — ‘in the joints/crevices’

Speaker

Skanda (deduced from Setu Māhātmya-style narration)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Setutīrtha (Setubandha)

Type: kshetra

Visual Art Cues

Scene: Didactic tableau of hellish punishments: a sinner forced onto a red-hot iron bed, scalded by boiling water, and pierced by needles at eyes and mouth-joints; a distant contrast implied—cool, purifying Setu waters and sands as refuge.

Characters & Entities

• Naraka (hell)

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

It intensifies the warning about pāpa’s fruits, setting up the Mahātmya’s promise of purification through sacred observance at Setu.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

Setu (Setubandha/Rāmeśvara), the pilgrimage focus of the Setukhaṇḍa.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

No explicit instruction here; the larger passage points to Setu snāna as the saving practice.