Skanda Purana — Nagara Khanda, Shloka 49

Devanagari script

सूत उवाच । एतद्वः सर्वमाख्यातं गोत्रसंख्यानकं शुभम् । ऋषीणां कीर्तनं चापि सर्वपातकनाशनम्

Transliteration

sūta uvāca | etadvaḥ sarvamākhyātaṃ gotrasaṃkhyānakaṃ śubham | ṛṣīṇāṃ kīrtanaṃ cāpi sarvapātakanāśanam

Translation

Sūta sprach: „All dies, der glückverheißende Bericht über die Aufzählung der Gotras (Geschlechterlinien), ist euch vollständig dargelegt worden. Auch das Rezitieren der Namen der ṛṣis ist ein Vernichter aller Sünden.“

Word by Word

• sūtaḥ: Sūta
• sūtaḥ: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: sūta (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1), एकवचन

• uvāca: said
• uvāca: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: √vac (धातु)
• Form: लिट् (परोक्षभूत/परिपूर्णभूत), प्रथमपुरुष, एकवचन; परस्मैपद

• etat: this
• etat: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: etad (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया (1/2), एकवचन; सर्वनाम

• vaḥ: to you / of you
• vaḥ: Sampradana (Recipient/सम्प्रदान)
• Type: Noun
• Root: yusmad (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: षष्ठी/चतुर्थी (6/4), बहुवचन; सर्वनाम (enclitic)

• sarvam: all, entire
• sarvam: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: sarva (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया (1/2), एकवचन; विशेषण

• ākhyātam: has been told/declared
• ākhyātam: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: ā-√khyā (धातु) → ākhyāta (कृदन्त, भूतकर्मणि)
• Form: भूतकर्मणि कृदन्त (क्त), नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया (1/2), एकवचन; कर्मणि-प्रयोगार्थे (told/declared)

• gotra-saṃkhyānakam: enumerating the lineages (gotras)
• gotra-saṃkhyānakam: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: gotra (प्रातिपदिक) + saṃkhyānaka (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया (1/2), एकवचन; षष्ठी-तत्पुरुष (gotrāṇāṃ saṃkhyānakaṃ)

• śubham: auspicious
• śubham: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: śubha (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया (1/2), एकवचन; विशेषण

• ṛṣīṇām: of the sages
• ṛṣīṇām: Sambandha (Genitive relation/षष्ठी-सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: ṛṣi (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, षष्ठी (6), बहुवचन

• kīrtanam: recitation, praising
• kīrtanam: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: kīrtana (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया (1/2), एकवचन

• ca: and
• ca: Samuccaya (Connector/समुच्चय)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: ca (अव्यय)
• Form: समुच्चय-अव्यय (conjunction)

• api: also
• api: Sambandha (Particle/निपात)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: api (अव्यय)
• Form: सम्भावना/समुच्चय-अव्यय (particle: also/even)

• sarva-pātaka-nāśanam: destroyer of all sins
• sarva-pātaka-nāśanam: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: sarva (प्रातिपदिक) + pātaka (प्रातिपदिक) + nāśana (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया (1/2), एकवचन; षष्ठी-तत्पुरुष (sarveṣāṃ pātakānāṃ nāśanam)

Speaker

Sūta

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: assembled ṛṣis/brāhmaṇas

Visual Art Cues

Scene: Sūta seated in a forest-assembly (naimiṣa-like), addressing attentive sages/brāhmaṇas; palm-leaf manuscripts nearby; the air subtly brightens as ṛṣi-names are spoken, symbolizing pāpa-nāśa through sound.

Characters & Entities

• Sūta
• Ṛṣi (sages)
• Gotra

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Remembering and reciting the lineage-and-sage tradition is presented as a purifying dharmic act that removes sin.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

This verse states the general phala (benefit) within the Nāgarakhaṇḍa Tīrthamāhātmya context, rather than naming a single tīrtha in the line itself.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

Kīrtana/paṭhana—recitation of gotra lists and sages’ names—as a meritorious practice.