Skanda Purana — Brahma Khanda, Shloka 72

Devanagari script

कुत्स उवाच । रामनाथ तव पादसेवनं भोगमोक्षवरदं नृणां सदा । रौरवादिनरकप्रणाशनं कः पुमान्न भजते रसग्रहः

Transliteration

kutsa uvāca | rāmanātha tava pādasevanaṃ bhogamokṣavaradaṃ nṛṇāṃ sadā | rauravādinarakapraṇāśanaṃ kaḥ pumānna bhajate rasagrahaḥ

Translation

Kutsa sprach: »O Rāmanātha, der Dienst an Deinen Füßen gewährt den Menschen stets sowohl Genuss als auch Befreiung (mokṣa) und vernichtet Höllen wie Raurava. Welcher Mensch, der ihre Süße gekostet hat, würde Dich nicht verehren?«

Word by Word

• कुत्सः: Kutsa
• कुत्सः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: कुत्स (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन

• उवाच: said
• उवाच: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: वच् (धातु)
• Form: लिट्, प्रथमपुरुष, एकवचन

• रामनाथ: O Rāmanātha
• रामनाथ: Sambodhana (Address/सम्बोधन)
• Type: Noun
• Root: राम-नाथ (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, सम्बोधन, एकवचन

• तव: your
• तव: Shashthi-sambandha (Genitive/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: त्वद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: षष्ठी, एकवचन

• पादसेवनम्: service of (your) feet
• पादसेवनम्: Karma/Predicate (विधेय)
• Type: Noun
• Root: पाद-सेवन (प्रातिपदिक; पाद + सेवन)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया, एकवचन

• भोगमोक्षवरदम्: granting enjoyment and liberation
• भोगमोक्षवरदम्: Visheshana (Adjective/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: भोग-मोक्ष-वरद (प्रातिपदिक; भोग + मोक्ष + वरद)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया, एकवचन; विशेषण (पादसेवनम्)

• नृणाम्: of men
• नृणाम्: Shashthi-sambandha (Genitive/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: नृ (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, षष्ठी, बहुवचन

• सदा: always
• सदा: Kriya-visheshaṇa (Adverbial/क्रियाविशेषण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: सदा (अव्यय)
• Form: कालवाचक-अव्यय (adverb of time)

• रौरवादिनरकप्रणाशनम्: destroying hells such as Raurava
• रौरवादिनरकप्रणाशनम्: Visheshana (Adjective/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: रौरव-आदि-नरक-प्रणाशन (प्रातिपदिक; रौरव + आदि + नरक + प्रणाशन)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया, एकवचन; विशेषण (पादसेवनम्)

• कः: who?
• कः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: किम् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन; प्रश्नार्थक

• पुमान्: man, person
• पुमान्: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: पुमांस् (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन

• न: not
• न: Negation (निषेध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: न (अव्यय)
• Form: निषेध-निपात (negative particle)

• भजते: worships, resorts to
• भजते: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: भज् (धातु)
• Form: लट्, प्रथमपुरुष, एकवचन; आत्मनेपद

• रसग्रहः: one who grasps the essence (connoisseur)
• रसग्रहः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: रस-ग्रह (प्रातिपदिक; रस + ग्रह)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन

Speaker

Kutsa

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Rāmanātheśvara (Setu-kṣetra)

Type: kshetra

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: Rāmanātha (addressed)

Visual Art Cues

Scene: Kutsa rishi extols the sweetness of serving Rāmanātha’s feet; devotees offer water and flowers at the pedestal; a symbolic dark underworld (Raurava) dissolves into light behind the shrine.

Characters & Entities

• Kutsa
• Rāmanātha
• Raurava (hell)

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Devotion expressed as service to Rāmanātha’s feet is portrayed as supremely beneficial—granting both worldly welfare and final liberation.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

Rāmeśvaram/Setu, where Rāmanātha’s pāda-sevā is praised as a destroyer of hellish suffering.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

Pāda-sevana (service/worship at the Lord’s feet), implying sustained devotional practice.