Skanda Purana — Brahma Khanda, Shloka 87

Devanagari script

ये कीर्तयंति मनुजाः परमेश्वरस्य माहात्म्यमेतदथ कर्णपुटैः पिबंति । ते जन्मकोटिकृतपापगणैर्विमुक्ताः शांताः प्रयांति परमं पदमिंदुमौलेः

Transliteration

ye kīrtayaṃti manujāḥ parameśvarasya māhātmyametadatha karṇapuṭaiḥ pibaṃti | te janmakoṭikṛtapāpagaṇairvimuktāḥ śāṃtāḥ prayāṃti paramaṃ padamiṃdumauleḥ

Translation

Those who sing this greatness of the Supreme Lord and drink it in through the cups of their ears—freed from heaps of sins amassed over crores of births—go in peace to the highest state of the Moon-crested Lord (Śiva).

Word by Word

• ये: those who
• ये: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: यद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग; प्रथमा (1st/Nominative); बहुवचन; सम्बन्धबोधक सर्वनाम (relative pronoun)

• कीर्तयन्ति: praise, proclaim
• कीर्तयन्ति: Kriyā (Verb)
• Type: Verb
• Root: √कीर्तय् (धातु; कीर्तयति)
• Form: लट् (Present); परस्मैपदम्; प्रथमपुरुष (3rd person); बहुवचन

• मनुजाः: people, humans
• मनुजाः: Karta (Apposition to subject)
• Type: Noun
• Root: मनुज (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग; प्रथमा (1st/Nominative); बहुवचन

• परमेश्वरस्य: of the Supreme Lord
• परमेश्वरस्य: Sambandha (Genitive relation)
• Type: Noun
• Root: परमेश्वर (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग; षष्ठी (6th/Genitive); एकवचन; कर्मधारयः (paramaḥ īśvaraḥ)

• माहात्म्यम्: greatness, glory
• माहात्म्यम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: माहात्म्य (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग; द्वितीया (2nd/Accusative); एकवचन

• एतत्: this
• एतत्: Viśeṣaṇa (Qualifier)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: एतद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग; द्वितीया (2nd/Accusative); एकवचन; विशेषण (demonstrative)

• अथ: and then, moreover
• अथ: Sambandha-bodhaka (Discourse connector)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: अथ (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; अनुक्रम/अनन्तरार्थक (particle: then/and)

• कर्ण-पुटैः: with (their) ear-cavities; with ears
• कर्ण-पुटैः: Karaṇa (Instrument/करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: कर्ण (प्रातिपदिक) + पुट (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग; तृतीया (3rd/Instrumental); बहुवचन; तत्पुरुषः (karṇayoḥ puṭau)

• पिबन्ति: drink in, imbibe (hear eagerly)
• पिबन्ति: Kriyā (Verb)
• Type: Verb
• Root: √पा (धातु)
• Form: लट् (Present); परस्मैपदम्; प्रथमपुरुष (3rd person); बहुवचन

• ते: they
• ते: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: तद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग; प्रथमा (1st/Nominative); बहुवचन; तदर्थक सर्वनाम (correlative pronoun)

• जन्म-कोटि-कृत-पाप-गणैः: by masses of sins committed over crores of births
• जन्म-कोटि-कृत-पाप-गणैः: Hetu/Karaṇa (Cause/Instrument)
• Type: Noun
• Root: जन्म (प्रातिपदिक) + कोटि (प्रातिपदिक) + कृत (कृ धातु; क्त) + पाप (प्रातिपदिक) + गण (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग; तृतीया (3rd/Instrumental); बहुवचन; तत्पुरुष-समासः; हेतु/निमित्तार्थे तृतीया (instrumental of cause: 'by/with')

• विमुक्ताः: freed, released
• विमुक्ताः: Kartṛ-samānādhikaraṇa (Subject complement)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: वि√मुच् (धातु) + क्त (प्रत्यय)
• Form: भूतकर्मणि कृदन्त (past passive participle); पुंलिङ्ग; प्रथमा; बहुवचन; विशेषण

• शान्ताः: peaceful, calmed
• शान्ताः: Kartṛ-samānādhikaraṇa (Subject complement)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: शान्त (प्रातिपदिक) [√शम् + क्त]
• Form: कृदन्त-विशेषण; पुंलिङ्ग; प्रथमा; बहुवचन

• प्रयान्ति: go, attain
• प्रयान्ति: Kriyā (Main verb)
• Type: Verb
• Root: प्र√या (धातु)
• Form: लट् (Present); परस्मैपदम्; प्रथमपुरुष; बहुवचन

• परमम्: supreme
• परमम्: Viśeṣaṇa (Qualifier)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: परम (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग; द्वितीया (2nd/Accusative); एकवचन; विशेषण

• पदम्: state, abode
• पदम्: Karma (Object/goal)
• Type: Noun
• Root: पद (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग; द्वितीया (2nd/Accusative); एकवचन

• इन्दु-मौलेः: of the moon-crested (Lord Śiva)
• इन्दु-मौलेः: Sambandha (Genitive relation)
• Type: Noun
• Root: इन्दु (प्रातिपदिक) + मौलि (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग; षष्ठी (6th/Genitive); एकवचन; बहुव्रीहिः (yasya mauleḥ indur asti)

Speaker

Purāṇic narrator (phalaśruti style)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Parameśvara-mahātmyā (as ‘śabda-tīrtha’)

Type: kshetra

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A circle of devotees singing Śiva’s glory while others listen with rapt attention; above them, Śiva as Indumaule (moon-crested) radiates cool light, symbolizing the ‘parama pada’ reached through devotion.

Characters & Entities

• Parameśvara
• Śiva (Indumaule)

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Hearing and chanting Śiva’s māhātmya purifies even vast karmic burdens and leads toward Śiva’s supreme state.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

No single location is named; the verse glorifies the act of śravaṇa (hearing) and kīrtana (praise) of Śiva’s greatness.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

Kīrtana (praising) and śravaṇa (devout listening) of the māhātmya are prescribed as liberating practices.