Skanda Purana — Brahma Khanda, Shloka 30
अभक्ता ये कथां पुण्यां शृण्वंति मनुजाधमाः । तेषां पुण्यफलं नास्ति दुःखं स्याज्जन्मजन्मनि
abhaktā ye kathāṃ puṇyāṃ śṛṇvaṃti manujādhamāḥ | teṣāṃ puṇyaphalaṃ nāsti duḥkhaṃ syājjanmajanmani
أولئك الذين لا إيمان لهم—وهم أخسّ الناس—إذا سمعوا الحكاية المقدّسة ذات الثواب فلا ينالون منها ثمرةَ برٍّ؛ بل يتبعهم الحزن ولادةً بعد ولادة.
Narratorial Purāṇic voice (context not explicit in the snippet)
Scene: A kathā assembly where a few listeners sit with indifferent or contemptuous expressions; a shadowed aura around them contrasts with the luminous, devoted listeners; the mood is admonitory.
FAQs
Mere hearing is not enough; devotion and reverence are required for sacred discourse to yield puṇya and upliftment.
None; the verse is a general warning about faithless listening.
No specific rite; it prescribes the inner requirement of bhakti for kathā-śravaṇa.