Skanda Purana — Prabhasa Khanda, Shloka 3

Devanagari script

ईश्वर उवाच । शृणु देवि प्रवक्ष्यामि सूर्यमाहात्म्यमुत्तमम् । यच्छ्रुत्वा मानवो भक्त्या मुच्यते सर्वपातकैः

Transliteration

īśvara uvāca | śṛṇu devi pravakṣyāmi sūryamāhātmyamuttamam | yacchrutvā mānavo bhaktyā mucyate sarvapātakaiḥ

Translation

Īśvara sprach: Höre, o Göttin; ich werde die erhabene Größe der Sonne verkünden. Wer dies in Hingabe vernimmt, wird von allen Sünden befreit.

Word by Word

• ईश्वरः: Īśvara (Lord)
• ईश्वरः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: ईश्वर (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st), एकवचन

• उवाच: said
• उवाच: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: √वच् (धातु)
• Form: लिट् (परोक्षभूत/Perfect), प्रथमपुरुष, एकवचन, परस्मैपद

• शृणु: listen
• शृणु: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: √श्रु (धातु)
• Form: लोट् (आज्ञार्थ/Imperative), मध्यमपुरुष, एकवचन, परस्मैपद

• देवि: O goddess
• देवि: Sambodhana (Address/सम्बोधन)
• Type: Noun
• Root: देवी (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, सम्बोधन (8th), एकवचन

• प्रवक्ष्यामि: I will tell
• प्रवक्ष्यामि: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: √वच् (धातु)
• Form: लृट् (भविष्यत्/Future), उत्तमपुरुष, एकवचन, परस्मैपद; उपसर्ग-पूर्वक (प्र + √वच्)

• सूर्यमाहात्म्यम्: the glory of the Sun
• सूर्यमाहात्म्यम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: सूर्य-माहात्म्य (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd), एकवचन; तत्पुरुष (सूर्यस्य माहात्म्यम्)

• उत्तमम्: excellent, supreme
• उत्तमम्: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: उत्तम (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd), एकवचन; विशेषण (सूर्यमाहात्म्यस्य)

• यत्: which (that)
• यत्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: यद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: सर्वनाम, नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd), एकवचन; सम्बन्धसूचक

• श्रुत्वा: having heard
• श्रुत्वा: Purvakala (Prior action/पूर्वकाल)
• Type: Verb
• Root: √श्रु (धातु)
• Form: क्त्वान्त अव्ययकृदन्त (gerund/absolutive) — ‘having heard’

• मानवः: a man, human
• मानवः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: मानव (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st), एकवचन

• भक्त्या: with devotion
• भक्त्या: Karana (Instrument/करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: भक्ति (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, तृतीया (3rd), एकवचन

• मुच्यते: is freed
• मुच्यते: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: √मुच् (धातु)
• Form: लट् (वर्तमान/Present), प्रथमपुरुष, एकवचन, आत्मनेपद; कर्मणि-प्रयोग (passive)

• सर्वपातकैः: from all sins
• सर्वपातकैः: Apadana (Separation/अपादान)
• Type: Noun
• Root: सर्व-पातक (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, तृतीया (3rd), बहुवचन; कर्मधारय (सर्वाणि पातकानि)

Speaker

Īśvara (Śiva)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Prabhāsa (as the locus of the Sūrya-māhātmya narrative)

Type: kshetra

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: Devī

Visual Art Cues

Scene: Shiva begins a formal proclamation to Devi: a teaching posture, calm authority, with a subtle solar emblem (lotus-disc or radiant halo) indicating the subject—Sūrya’s greatness and sin-destroying power of hearing.

Characters & Entities

• Īśvara (Śiva)
• Devī
• Sūrya

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Śravaṇa (devotional hearing) of māhātmya is itself a purifying dharma, capable of dissolving sins when done with bhakti.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

Prabhāsa indirectly, as the setting for the forthcoming Sūrya/Arkasthala greatness narrative.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

Śravaṇa (listening) to the Sūrya Māhātmya with devotion is presented as a sin-destroying practice.