Skanda Purana — Prabhasa Khanda, Shloka 7

Devanagari script

ईश्वर उवाच । शृणु देवि प्रवक्ष्यामि कथा पापप्रणाशिनीम् । यां श्रुत्वा मुच्यते जंतुस्त्रिविधैः कर्मबन्धनैः

Transliteration

īśvara uvāca | śṛṇu devi pravakṣyāmi kathā pāpapraṇāśinīm | yāṃ śrutvā mucyate jaṃtustrividhaiḥ karmabandhanaiḥ

Translation

Īśvara sprach: Höre, o Göttin; ich will dir eine Sünde vernichtende Erzählung verkünden. Wer sie vernimmt, wird von den dreifachen Fesseln des Karma befreit.

Word by Word

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

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

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

• देवि: O Goddess
• देवि: Sambodhana (Address)
• Type: Noun
• Root: देवी (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, सम्बोधन-विभक्ति, एकवचन

• प्रवक्ष्यामि: I will tell
• प्रवक्ष्यामि: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: प्र + वच् (धातु)
• Form: लृट्-लकार (Simple Future), उत्तमपुरुष (1st person), एकवचन

• कथाम्: a story
• कथाम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: कथा (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति, एकवचन

• पापप्रणाशिनीम्: sin-destroying
• पापप्रणाशिनीम्: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: पाप (प्रातिपदिक) + प्रणाशिनी (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति, एकवचन; षष्ठी-तत्पुरुष (पापस्य प्रणाशिनी)

• याम्: which (story)
• याम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: यद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति, एकवचन; सम्बन्धसूचक (relative pronoun)

• श्रुत्वा: having heard
• श्रुत्वा: Purvakala (Prior action)
• Type: Verb
• Root: श्रु (धातु)
• Form: क्त्वा-प्रत्ययान्त अव्यय-कृदन्त (gerund), पूर्वकाल (having heard)

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

• जन्तुः: a creature/person
• जन्तुः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: जन्तु (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन

• त्रिविधैः: by threefold
• त्रिविधैः: Karana (Instrument/करण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: त्रि (संख्या) + विध (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग/पुंलिङ्ग, तृतीया-विभक्ति (Instrumental/3rd), बहुवचन; कर्मबन्धनैः इत्यस्य विशेषण

• कर्मबन्धनैः: by the bonds of karma
• कर्मबन्धनैः: Karana (Instrument/करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: कर्म (प्रातिपदिक) + बन्धन (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, तृतीया-विभक्ति, बहुवचन; षष्ठी-तत्पुरुष (कर्मणः बन्धनानि)

Speaker

Īśvara (Śiva)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Prabhāsa-kathā (hearing within Prabhāsa-māhātmya)

Type: kshetra

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: Devī (Pārvatī)

Visual Art Cues

Scene: Śiva begins the ‘pāpa-praṇāśinī kathā’; Devī listens attentively; subtle symbolic chains (three strands) fall away, representing release from threefold karmic bondage through hearing.

Characters & Entities

• Īśvara
• Devī
• karma-bandha

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Śravaṇa (devout hearing) of sacred narrative is a means of purification and loosening karmic bondage.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

The forthcoming narrative belongs to Prabhāsakṣetra Māhātmya and explains the liṅga’s origins there.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

The practice emphasized is listening (śṛṇu/śrutvā) to the kathā with devotion.