Skanda Purana — Nagara Khanda, Shloka 39

Devanagari script

श्रुत्वा पुराणमेतद्धि जन्मकोटिसमुद्भवात् । पातकाद्विप्रमुच्येत कुलानामुद्धरेच्छतम्

Transliteration

śrutvā purāṇametaddhi janmakoṭisamudbhavāt | pātakādvipramucyeta kulānāmuddharecchatam

Translation

Wahrlich, wer dieses Purāṇa hört, wird rasch von Sünden befreit, die sich aus zig Millionen Geburten angesammelt haben, und er erhebt hundert Generationen seines Geschlechts.

Word by Word

• श्रुत्वा: having heard
• श्रुत्वा: Kriyā (Prior action/पूर्वक्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: √श्रु (धातु) + त्वा (क्त्वान्त)
• Form: क्त्वान्त-अव्ययकृदन्त (gerund/absolutive)

• पुराणम्: the Purāṇa
• पुराणम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: पुराण (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2), एकवचन

• एतत्: this
• एतत्: Viśeṣaṇa (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: एतद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2), एकवचन; विशेषण

• हि: indeed
• हि: Sambandha (Discourse particle/निपात)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: हि (अव्यय)
• Form: निपात (particle; emphasis/indeed)

• जन्म-कोटि-समुद्भवात्: from (sins) arising from crores of births
• जन्म-कोटि-समुद्भवात्: Apādāna (Source/अपादान)
• Type: Noun
• Root: जन्म (प्रातिपदिक) + कोटि (प्रातिपदिक) + समुद्भव (सम्+उद्+√भू धातु, घञ्/प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: तत्पुरुष-समास (षष्ठी/सम्बन्ध), पुंलिङ्ग, पञ्चमी (5), एकवचन; अपादान (ablative)

• पातकात्: from sin
• पातकात्: Apādāna (Source/अपादान)
• Type: Noun
• Root: पातक (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, पञ्चमी (5), एकवचन

• विप्रमुच्येत: would be freed
• विप्रमुच्येत: Kriyā (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: वि+प्र+√मुच् (धातु)
• Form: विधिलिङ् (optative), आत्मनेपद, प्रथमपुरुष, एकवचन; कर्मणि/भावे अर्थः (be released)

• कुलानाम्: of (one's) families/lineages
• कुलानाम्: Ṣaṣṭhī-sambandha (Genitive relation/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: कुल (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, षष्ठी (6), बहुवचन

• उद्धरेत्: should uplift, deliver
• उद्धरेत्: Kriyā (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: उद्+√हृ (धातु)
• Form: विधिलिङ् (optative), परस्मैपद, प्रथमपुरुष, एकवचन

• शतम्: a hundred
• शतम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: शत (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2), एकवचन; परिमाण/संख्या

Speaker

Sūta (deduced)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: (Textual) Purāṇa-śravaṇa as tīrtha

Type: kshetra

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: Ṛṣi audience (contextual)

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A dramatic purification vision: dark smoke-like ‘pātaka’ forms dissolve as sacred sound waves emanate from the reciter; behind the listener stand translucent ancestors being lifted upward, symbolizing ‘kula-uddhāra’.

Characters & Entities

• Purāṇa
• Kula

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Sacred hearing is presented as a purifier strong enough to erase deep karmic residue and to benefit one’s ancestors and descendants.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

The purifying power is attributed to hearing the kṣetra-māhātmya narrative of Citreśvarīpīṭha/Hāṭakeśvara within Nāgarakhaṇḍa.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

Śravaṇa of the Purāṇic māhātmya; the result is pāpa-kṣaya and kula-uddhāra.