Mahabharata — Anushasana Parva, Shloka 11
भूमिदान-प्रसङ्गः । काश्यपी-पृथिवी तथा उतथ्य-वरुण-संवादः
Land-gift episode; Pṛthivī Kāśyapī; Utathya–Varuṇa dispute
नास्य पापं प्रभवति न च पापेन लिप्यते | पठेद् वा श्रावयेद् वापि श्रुत्वा वा लभते फलम्
nāsya pāpaṃ prabhavati na ca pāpena lipyate | paṭhed vā śrāvayed vāpi śrutvā vā labhate phalam ||
Skanda said: “For him, sin does not arise, nor is he tainted by sin. Whether one recites it, has it recited, or even merely hears it, one obtains its fruit.”
स्कन्द उवाच
Educational Q&A
Engaging with a sacred teaching—by reciting it, enabling others to hear it, or simply listening—produces beneficial results (phala) and prevents the arising of sin or moral taint. The emphasis is on the transformative, purifying efficacy of dharmic discourse when approached with sincerity.
Skanda is speaking within a didactic context in the Anuśāsana Parva, praising the power of a particular dharmic teaching or hymn. He states that participation in its transmission (reading/reciting/teaching/hearing) grants merit and protects one from sin.