Skanda Purana — Brahma Khanda, Shloka 90

Devanagari script

कुरु सेतुं समुद्रे त्वं शक्तो ह्यसि महामते । तदाऽब्रवीन्नलो वाक्यं रामं धर्मभृतां वरम्

Transliteration

kuru setuṃ samudre tvaṃ śakto hyasi mahāmate | tadā'bravīnnalo vākyaṃ rāmaṃ dharmabhṛtāṃ varam

Translation

“ท่านจงสร้างสะพาน (เสตุ) ข้ามมหาสมุทรเถิด โอ้ผู้มีปัญญาอันยิ่ง ท่านย่อมทำได้แน่แท้” แล้วนละจึงกล่าวถ้อยคำนี้แด่พระราม ผู้ประเสริฐในหมู่ผู้ทรงธรรมา

Word by Word

• कुरु: do; make
• कुरु: Kriya (Predicate/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: कृ (धातु)
• Form: लोट्-लकार (Imperative), मध्यमपुरुष (2nd person), एकवचन (Singular), परस्मैपद

• सेतुम्: bridge; causeway
• सेतुम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: सेतु (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग (Masculine), द्वितीया-विभक्ति (Accusative/2nd), एकवचन (Singular)

• समुद्रे: in the ocean
• समुद्रे: Adhikarana (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: समुद्र (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग (Masculine), सप्तमी-विभक्ति (Locative/7th), एकवचन (Singular)

• त्वम्: you
• त्वम्: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: युष्मद् (प्रातिपदिक/सर्वनाम)
• Form: सर्वनाम (Pronoun), उत्तम-पुरुषार्थे? (2nd person pronoun), प्रथमा-विभक्ति (Nominative/1st), एकवचन (Singular)

• शक्तः: able; capable
• शक्तः: Karta (Subject-complement/कर्ता-विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: शक्त (कृदन्त; √शक्)
• Form: भूतकृदन्त (Past participle), पुंलिङ्ग (Masculine), प्रथमा-विभक्ति (Nominative/1st), एकवचन (Singular)

• हि: indeed; for
• हि: Sambandha (Discourse particle/निपात)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: हि (अव्यय)
• Form: निपात (particle), अवधान/हेतु-प्रदर्शक (indeed/for)

• असि: are
• असि: Kriya (Predicate/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: अस् (धातु)
• Form: लट्-लकार (Present), मध्यमपुरुष (2nd person), एकवचन (Singular), परस्मैपद

• महामते: O great-minded one
• महामते: Sambodhana (Address/सम्बोधन)
• Type: Noun
• Root: महामति (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: समास: महा + मति (कर्मधारय), पुंलिङ्ग (Masculine), सम्बोधन-विभक्ति (Vocative), एकवचन (Singular)

• तदा: then
• तदा: Kala (Time/काल)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: तदा (अव्यय)
• Form: कालवाचक-अव्यय (temporal adverb)

• अब्रवीत्: said; spoke
• अब्रवीत्: Kriya (Predicate/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: ब्रू (धातु)
• Form: लङ्-लकार (Imperfect/Past), प्रथमपुरुष (3rd person), एकवचन (Singular), परस्मैपद

• नलः: Nala
• नलः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: नल (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग (Masculine), प्रथमा-विभक्ति (Nominative/1st), एकवचन (Singular)

• वाक्यम्: speech; words
• वाक्यम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: वाक्य (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग (Neuter), द्वितीया-विभक्ति (Accusative/2nd), एकवचन (Singular)

• रामम्: to Rama
• रामम्: Sampradana (Recipient/सम्प्रदान)
• Type: Noun
• Root: राम (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग (Masculine), द्वितीया-विभक्ति (Accusative/2nd), एकवचन (Singular)

• धर्मभृताम्: of the upholders of dharma
• धर्मभृताम्: Sambandha (Genitive relation/षष्ठी)
• Type: Noun
• Root: धर्मभृत् (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: समास: धर्म + भृत् (षष्ठी-तत्पुरुष), पुंलिङ्ग (Masculine), षष्ठी-विभक्ति (Genitive/6th), बहुवचन (Plural)

• वरम्: best; excellent
• वरम्: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: वर (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग (Masculine), द्वितीया-विभक्ति (Accusative/2nd), एकवचन (Singular); विशेषण (qualifying ‘रामम्’)

Speaker

Narrator (contextual Purāṇic narration); Nala addressing Rāma within the narrative frame

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Setu (Rāma-setu / Setubandha)

Type: kshetra

Visual Art Cues

Scene: On the seashore, leaders confer: a directive to build the Setu; Nala steps forward to address Rāma, framed by waves, conch-shell shore, and assembled Vānaras awaiting orders.

Characters & Entities

• Nala
• Rāma
• Setu
• Samudra (Ocean)

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Dharma is advanced through resolute action guided by capable devotees—sacred works become possible when undertaken in righteousness.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

Setu (Setubandha/Rāma Setu), the sacred causeway associated with Rāma’s passage toward Laṅkā, later revered as a tīrtha region.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

No direct ritual is prescribed in this verse; it introduces the dharmic undertaking of constructing the Setu.