Skanda Purana — Nagara Khanda, Shloka 15
यथा प्रदीपे ज्वलिते प्रणश्यति महत्तमः । तथा हरेः कथायां च याति पापमनेकधा
yathā pradīpe jvalite praṇaśyati mahattamaḥ | tathā hareḥ kathāyāṃ ca yāti pāpamanekadhā
Wie große Finsternis vergeht, wenn eine Lampe entzündet wird, so weicht auch in der Erzählung von Hari die Sünde auf vielerlei Weise.
Īśvara (Śiva)
Scene: A lamp is lit in a dark shrine-hall; shadows flee as devotees listen to a storyteller reciting Hari-kathā; sin is allegorized as dark figures dissolving into light.
FAQs
Devotional listening and speaking of Hari’s kathā is a direct purifier that dispels sin as light dispels darkness.
No named tīrtha; the verse emphasizes the universal efficacy of Hari-kathā.
Engage in Hari-kathā (hearing/reciting sacred narratives), especially apt for vrata seasons like Cāturmāsya.