Skanda Purana — Mahesvara Khanda, Shloka 52

Devanagari script

यः पठेच्छृणुयाद्वापि कुमारस्य महात्मनः । चरितं तारकाख्यं च सर्वपापैः समुच्यते

Transliteration

yaḥ paṭhecchṛṇuyādvāpi kumārasya mahātmanaḥ | caritaṃ tārakākhyaṃ ca sarvapāpaiḥ samucyate

Translation

Wer auch immer die heiligen Taten des großherzigen Kumāra rezitiert—oder auch nur hört—, insbesondere den Bericht namens „Tāraka“, wird gänzlich von allen Sünden befreit.

Word by Word

• यः: whoever
• यः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: यद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन

• पठेत्: should read
• पठेत्: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: पठ् (धातु)
• Form: विधिलिङ् (optative), परस्मैपद, प्रथमपुरुष, एकवचन

• शृणुयात्: should hear/listen
• शृणुयात्: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: श्रु (धातु)
• Form: विधिलिङ् (optative), परस्मैपद, प्रथमपुरुष, एकवचन

• वा: or
• वा: Avyaya (Connector/अव्यय)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: वा (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; विकल्पार्थक (disjunctive particle)

• अपि: also, even
• अपि: Avyaya (Particle/अव्यय)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: अपि (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; समुच्चय/अपि-निपात (also/even)

• कुमारस्य: of Kumāra
• कुमारस्य: Ṣaṣṭhī-sambandha (Genitive relation/षष्ठी)
• Type: Noun
• Root: कुमार (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, षष्ठी-विभक्ति, एकवचन

• महात्मनः: of the great-souled
• महात्मनः: Viśeṣaṇa (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: महात्मन् (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, षष्ठी-विभक्ति, एकवचन; ‘कुमारस्य’ इत्यस्य विशेषणम्

• चरितम्: the story/deeds
• चरितम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: चरित (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति, एकवचन

• तारकाख्यम्: called ‘Tāraka’
• तारकाख्यम्: Viśeṣaṇa (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: तारक (प्रातिपदिक) + आख्य (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया, एकवचन; समासः—तारक-आख्य (तत्पुरुष: ‘तारक-नामक’)

• च: and
• च: Avyaya (Connector/अव्यय)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: च (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; समुच्चय-बोधक

• सर्वपापैः: from all sins
• सर्वपापैः: Apādāna (Ablative sense via instrumental/अपादानार्थ-तृतीया)
• Type: Noun
• Root: सर्व (प्रातिपदिक) + पाप (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, तृतीया-विभक्ति (अपादान/हेतु-प्रायः), बहुवचन; समासः—सर्व-पाप (कर्मधारय: ‘सर्वाणि पापानि’)

• समुच्यते: is released/freed
• समुच्यते: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: सम् + उच् (धातु)
• Form: लट्-लकार (वर्तमान), आत्मनेपद, प्रथमपुरुष, एकवचन; कर्मणि/भावे प्रयोगः (passive sense)

Speaker

Sūta (Lomaharṣaṇa) narrating to the sages (deduced)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Tāraka-kathā (within Kumāra-carita)

Type: kshetra

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A reciter chants the Tāraka episode; listeners sit in reverent rows; a subtle visual metaphor shows sins falling away as dark fragments; Skanda’s victorious form appears in the mind’s eye or as a radiant vision above the assembly.

Characters & Entities

• Kumāra (Skanda/Kārttikeya)
• Tāraka

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Śravaṇa and pāṭha of sacred narratives purify the listener/reciter and dissolve accumulated pāpa.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

The Kedārakhaṇḍa setting frames the teaching; the immediate focus is the merit of the Tāraka-carita rather than a single shrine.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

Pāṭha (recitation) and śravaṇa (hearing) of Kumāra’s Tāraka-carita.