Skanda Purana — Brahma Khanda, Shloka 35

Devanagari script

सेतुमध्यस्थतीर्थेषु मुष्टिमात्रप्रदानतः । नश्यंति सकला रोगा भ्रूणहत्यादयस्तथा

Transliteration

setumadhyasthatīrtheṣu muṣṭimātrapradānataḥ | naśyaṃti sakalā rogā bhrūṇahatyādayastathā

Translation

ณ ท่าน้ำศักดิ์สิทธิ์ซึ่งตั้งอยู่กลางสะพานเซตุ เพียงถวายทานแค่กำมือเดียว โรคทั้งปวงย่อมสิ้นไป และบาปหนักอย่างการฆ่าทารกในครรภ์ (ภรูณะ-หัตยา) เป็นต้นก็ถูกทำลายด้วย

Word by Word

• सेतु-मध्य-स्थ-तीर्थेषु: in the sacred fords located in the middle of the bridge/causeway
• सेतु-मध्य-स्थ-तीर्थेषु: Adhikarana (Locative/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: सेतु (प्रातिपदिक) + मध्य (प्रातिपदिक) + स्थ (कृदन्त/प्रातिपदिक) + तीर्थ (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, सप्तमी (7th/सप्तमी), बहुवचन; समासः—तत्पुरुषः (सेतुमध्ये स्थानि तीर्थाणि)

• मुष्टि-मात्र-प्रदानतः: by/through giving only a fistful (as donation)
• मुष्टि-मात्र-प्रदानतः: Hetu (Cause/हेतु)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: मुष्टि (प्रातिपदिक) + मात्र (प्रातिपदिक) + प्रदान (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: अव्यय (तसिल्-प्रत्ययान्त) ‘-तः’ = Ablatival adverb; समासः—तत्पुरुषः (मुष्टिमात्रं प्रदानम्)

• नश्यन्ति: perish, are destroyed
• नश्यन्ति: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: नश् (धातु)
• Form: लट्-लकार (Present), प्रथमपुरुष, बहुवचन; परस्मैपद

• सकलाः: all
• सकलाः: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: सकल (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/प्रथमा), बहुवचन; विशेषणम्

• रोगाः: diseases
• रोगाः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: रोग (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/प्रथमा), बहुवचन

• भ्रूण-हत्या-आदयः: (sins) beginning with foeticide
• भ्रूण-हत्या-आदयः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: भ्रूण (प्रातिपदिक) + हत्या (प्रातिपदिक) + आदि (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/प्रथमा), बहुवचन; समासः—तत्पुरुषः (भ्रूणहत्याः आदयः)

• तथा: also, likewise
• तथा: Sambandha (Connector/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: तथा (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; अव्यय-प्रकारः—समुच्चय/उपमानार्थक (also/likewise)

Speaker

Skanda (deduced from Setukhaṇḍa narrative style within Skanda Purāṇa)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Setu-madhya tīrthas (mid-Setu fords)

Type: tirtha

Visual Art Cues

Scene: Pilgrims at a narrow sandbar-tīrtha in the mid-Setu, offering a small handful of grain into a priest’s palm beside shallow sea-water, with distant line of stones/sand and seabirds.

Characters & Entities

• Setu (Rāmasetu)
• Tīrtha
• Bhrūṇahatyā

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Even small, sincere acts of dāna performed at a powerful tīrtha can remove suffering and purify grave karmic faults.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

The tīrthas located in the central region of the Setu—understood as Rāmasetu’s sacred bathing and offering spots.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

Muṣṭimātra-pradāna—offering a ‘handful’ as charity at the Setu tīrthas.