Skanda Purana — Nagara Khanda, Shloka 19

Devanagari script

पुराणश्रवणादेव अनेकभवसंचितम् । पापं प्रशममायाति सर्वतीर्थफलं लभेत्

Transliteration

purāṇaśravaṇādeva anekabhavasaṃcitam | pāpaṃ praśamamāyāti sarvatīrthaphalaṃ labhet

Translation

Schon durch das Hören des Purāṇa wird die über viele Leben angesammelte Sünde besänftigt, und man erlangt die Früchte aller Tīrthas.

Word by Word

• पुराण-श्रवणात्: from the hearing of the Purāṇa
• पुराण-श्रवणात्: Hetu/Apadana (Cause/Source/हेतु/अपादान)
• Type: Noun
• Root: पुराण (प्रातिपदिक) + श्रवण (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: तत्पुरुष-समास (‘पुराणस्य श्रवणम्’); नपुंसकलिङ्ग, पञ्चमी (5th), एकवचन (ablative: from/by means of)

• एव: indeed, just
• एव: Sambandha (Particle/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: eva (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय (particle): only/indeed (emphasis)

• अनेक-भव-संचितम्: accumulated over many births
• अनेक-भव-संचितम्: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: अनेक (प्रातिपदिक) + भव (प्रातिपदिक) + संचित (कृदन्त/प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: तत्पुरुष-समास (‘अनेकेषु भवेषु संचितम्’); संचित = क्त-प्रत्ययान्त; नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd), एकवचन (agreeing with पापम्)

• पापम्: sin
• पापम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: pāpa (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd), एकवचन

• प्रशमम्: cessation, pacification
• प्रशमम्: Gati/Phala (Result state/फल)
• Type: Noun
• Root: praśama (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुल्लिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd), एकवचन; ‘शमन/उपशम’ अर्थे

• आयाति: comes/attains
• आयाति: Kriya (Main action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: आ + या (धातु)
• Form: लट् (present indicative), प्रथमपुरुष (3rd), एकवचन; परस्मैपदम्

• सर्व-तीर्थ-फलम्: the fruit of all pilgrimages
• सर्व-तीर्थ-फलम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: सर्व (प्रातिपदिक) + तीर्थ (प्रातिपदिक) + फल (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: तत्पुरुष-समास (‘सर्वेषां तीर्थानां फलम्’); नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd), एकवचन

• लभेत्: would obtain
• लभेत्: Kriya (Main action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: लभ् (धातु)
• Form: विधिलिङ् (optative), प्रथमपुरुष (3rd), एकवचन; आत्मनेपदम्

Speaker

Unknown (Māhātmya narrative voice; likely Sūta/Lomaharṣaṇa in tīrthamāhātmya style)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Śrīhāṭakeśvara-kṣetra (contextual) / Purāṇa-śravaṇa as sarva-tīrtha-sādhana

Type: kshetra

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: Pilgrims/ṛṣis/devotees (contextual)

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A seated reciter (paurāṇika) chants from a palm-leaf manuscript before devotees; a subtle aura shows sins dissolving like dark smoke, while miniature icons of many tīrthas appear as a garland around the listeners.

Characters & Entities

• Tīrthas (all sacred sites)

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Scriptural hearing is presented as a concentrated pilgrimage: it purifies deep karmic residue and grants comprehensive tīrtha-merit.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

Rather than a single site, the verse universalizes merit—claiming the fruit of all tīrthas through Purāṇa hearing, within the Śrīhāṭakeśvara-kṣetra māhātmya context.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

Śravaṇa (devotional listening) of the Purāṇa as a dharmic practice yielding tīrtha-fruit and purification.