Skanda Purana — Brahma Khanda, Shloka 1

Devanagari script

ऋषय ऊचुः । चतुर्विंशतितीर्थानि यान्युक्तानि त्वया मुने । तेषां प्रधानतीर्थानां सेतौ पापविनाशने

Transliteration

ṛṣaya ūcuḥ | caturviṃśatitīrthāni yānyuktāni tvayā mune | teṣāṃ pradhānatīrthānāṃ setau pāpavināśane

Translation

เหล่าฤๅษีกล่าวว่า: โอ้มุนี ท่านได้กล่าวถึงตถาคตสถานศักดิ์สิทธิ์ยี่สิบสี่แห่งแล้ว ในบรรดาตีรถะประธาน ณ เสตุ อันเป็นผู้ทำลายบาปนั้น (ขอโปรดกล่าวต่อเถิด)

Word by Word

• ऋषयः: sages
• ऋषयः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: ऋषि (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), बहुवचन (Plural)

• ऊचुः: said
• ऊचुः: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: √वच् (धातु)
• Form: लिट् (Perfect), परस्मैपद, प्रथमपुरुष (3rd person), बहुवचन (Plural)

• चतुर्विंशतितीर्थानि: the twenty-four sacred fords (tīrthas)
• चतुर्विंशतितीर्थानि: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: चतुर्विंशति (संख्या-प्रातिपदिक) + तीर्थ (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया (1st/2nd; Nom/Acc), बहुवचन (Plural)

• यानि: which
• यानि: Sambandha (Relative/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: यद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया (1st/2nd; Nom/Acc), बहुवचन (Plural); सम्बन्धक (relative pronoun)

• उक्तानि: said/mentioned
• उक्तानि: Kriya (Predicative/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: √वच् (धातु)
• Form: क्त (past passive participle), नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया, बहुवचन; कर्मणि प्रयोग (passive sense)

• त्वया: by you
• त्वया: Karana (Instrument/कर्ता-हेतु)
• Type: Noun
• Root: युष्मद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुं/स्त्री (pronoun), तृतीया (3rd/Instrumental), एकवचन (Singular)

• मुने: O sage
• मुने: Sambodhana (Address/सम्बोधन)
• Type: Noun
• Root: मुनि (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, संबोधन (Vocative), एकवचन (Singular)

• तेषाम्: of those
• तेषाम्: Sambandha (Genitive/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: तद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: षष्ठी (6th/Genitive), बहुवचन (Plural)

• प्रधानतीर्थानाम्: of the principal tīrthas
• प्रधानतीर्थानाम्: Sambandha (Genitive/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: प्रधान (प्रातिपदिक) + तीर्थ (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, षष्ठी (6th/Genitive), बहुवचन (Plural)

• सेतौ: at Setu (the bridge/Setubandha)
• सेतौ: Adhikarana (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: सेतु (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, सप्तमी (7th/Locative), एकवचन (Singular)

• पापविनाशने: in (the place of) destruction of sins
• पापविनाशने: Adhikarana (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: पाप (प्रातिपदिक) + विनाशन (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, सप्तमी (7th/Locative), एकवचन (Singular); विशेषणवत् (as qualifier) to सेतौ

Speaker

Ṛṣis (the sages)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Setu (principal tīrthas among 24)

Type: kshetra

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: Muni/Sūta (addressed as ‘muni’; narrative voice continues as Sūta in next verse)

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A circle of sages seated in a forest-ashram setting, respectfully questioning the narrator about the twenty-four Setu tīrthas, with a symbolic glimpse of the sea/Setu in the background or on a palm-leaf map.

Characters & Entities

• Ṛṣis
• Setu
• twenty-four tīrthas

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Inquiry into tīrtha-māhātmya is itself a dharmic act; guidance from sages preserves sacred geography and right practice.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

Setu as the overarching pilgrimage field, especially its ‘chief’ tīrthas among the twenty-four.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

No direct rite; the verse frames a question initiating detailed exposition of Setu tīrthas.