Skanda Purana — Kashi Khanda, Shloka 204

Devanagari script

श्रुत्वाध्यायमिमं पुण्यं व्यासशाप विमोक्षणम् । महादुर्गोपसर्गेभ्यो भयं तस्य न कुत्रचित्

Transliteration

śrutvādhyāyamimaṃ puṇyaṃ vyāsaśāpa vimokṣaṇam | mahādurgopasargebhyo bhayaṃ tasya na kutracit

Translation

„Wer dieses heilige Kapitel vernommen hat—das von Vyasas Fluch befreit—, wird nirgendwo Furcht vor großen Katastrophen und schweren Heimsuchungen haben.“

Word by Word

• श्रुत्वा: having heard
• श्रुत्वा: Purvakala-kriya (Prior action/पूर्वकालक्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: √श्रु (धातु; श्रवणे)
• Form: क्त्वान्त-अव्यय (gerund/absolutive: having heard)

• अध्यायम्: chapter/recitation
• अध्यायम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: अध्याय (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग; द्वितीया-विभक्ति; एकवचन

• इमम्: this
• इमम्: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: इदम् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग; द्वितीया-विभक्ति; एकवचन; विशेषण (agreeing with अध्यायम्)

• पुण्यम्: meritorious/holy
• पुण्यम्: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: पुण्य (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग; द्वितीया-विभक्ति; एकवचन; विशेषण (agreeing with अध्यायम्)

• व्यासशापविमोक्षणम्: the release from Vyāsa’s curse
• व्यासशापविमोक्षणम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: व्यास (प्रातिपदिक) + शाप (प्रातिपदिक) + विमोक्षण (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग; द्वितीया-विभक्ति; एकवचन; बहुपद-तत्पुरुष (व्यासस्य शापस्य विमोक्षणम् = release from Vyāsa's curse); अध्यायस्य विशेषणरूपेण

• महादुर्गोपसर्गेभ्यः: from great calamities/afflictions
• महादुर्गोपसर्गेभ्यः: Apadana (Source/Separation/अपादान)
• Type: Noun
• Root: महा (प्रातिपदिक) + दुर्ग (प्रातिपदिक) + उपसर्ग (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग; पञ्चमी-विभक्ति (5th/Ablative); बहुवचन; तत्पुरुष (महादुर्गाः उपसर्गाः = great calamities/afflictions)

• भयम्: fear
• भयम्: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: भय (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग; प्रथमा-विभक्ति; एकवचन

• तस्य: of him/of that person
• तस्य: Sambandha (Possessor/सम्बन्ध-षष्ठी)
• Type: Noun
• Root: तद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग/नपुंसकलिङ्ग; षष्ठी-विभक्ति; एकवचन

• न: not
• न: Sambandha (Negation/निषेध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: न (अव्यय)
• Form: निषेधार्थक-अव्यय (not)

• कुत्रचित्: anywhere/ever
• कुत्रचित्: Adhikarana (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: कुत्रचित् (अव्यय)
• Form: देशवाचक-अव्यय (indefinite locative adverb: anywhere/ever)

Speaker

Narratorial voice within Skanda’s discourse (deduced Kāśīkhaṇḍa frame: Skanda to Agastya)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Vyāsa-śāpa-vimokṣa adhyāya (Kāśī-māhātmya)

Type: kshetra

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: Agastya

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A sage assembly listens as the sacred chapter is recited; a protective aura forms around the listener, while shadowy forms of calamity dissolve at the edges.

Characters & Entities

• Vyāsa

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Śravaṇa (devotional listening) to sacred māhātmya texts is itself a dharmic practice that grants protection and inner fearlessness.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

Implicitly Kāśī-kṣetra, since the chapter’s merit is framed within Kāśīkhaṇḍa’s sacred-geography narrative.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

Hearing/reciting this specific chapter (adhyāya-śravaṇa/pāṭha) as a spiritual practice for protection from calamities.