Skanda Purana — Nagara Khanda, Shloka 54

Devanagari script

एतद्वः सर्वमाख्यातं सर्वपातकनाशनम् । आख्यानं देवदेवस्य सुपुण्यं जलशायिनः

Transliteration

etadvaḥ sarvamākhyātaṃ sarvapātakanāśanam | ākhyānaṃ devadevasya supuṇyaṃ jalaśāyinaḥ

Translation

Thus I have narrated to you all this—an account that destroys every sin: the supremely meritorious sacred story of the God of gods, the Lord who reclines upon the waters.

Word by Word

• etat: this
• etat: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: etad (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया (1st/2nd), एकवचन

• vaḥ: to you/for you
• vaḥ: Sampradana/Sambandha (Recipient/Possessor)
• Type: Noun
• Root: yusmad (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: षष्ठी/चतुर्थी (6th/4th), बहुवचन; एन्क्लिटिक सर्वनाम

• sarvam: all/entire
• sarvam: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: sarva (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया (1st/2nd), एकवचन; विशेषणम् ‘etat’

• ākhyātam: has been narrated
• ākhyātam: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: √khyā (धातु) + ā- (उपसर्ग) + ta (क्त)
• Form: कृदन्त (क्त-प्रत्ययान्त भूतकर्मणि), नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया, एकवचन; ‘(has been) narrated/told’

• sarva-pātaka-nāśanam: destroyer of all sins
• sarva-pātaka-nāśanam: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: sarva (प्रातिपदिक) + pātaka (प्रातिपदिक) + nāśana (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया, एकवचन; समासः—षष्ठी-तत्पुरुष (sarveṣāṃ pātakānāṃ nāśanam)

• ākhyānam: the narrative
• ākhyānam: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: ākhyāna (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया, एकवचन

• deva-devasya: of the God of gods
• deva-devasya: Sambandha (Genitive/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: deva (प्रातिपदिक) + deva (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, षष्ठी (6th/षष्ठी), एकवचन; समासः—षष्ठी-तत्पुरुष (devānāṃ devaḥ)

• su-puṇyam: very meritorious
• su-puṇyam: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: su (उपसर्ग/अव्यय) + puṇya (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया, एकवचन; समासः—कर्मधारय (su puṇyam)

• jala-śāyinaḥ: of the one who lies on the waters (Viṣṇu)
• jala-śāyinaḥ: Sambandha (Genitive/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: jala (प्रातिपदिक) + śāyin (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, षष्ठी (6th/षष्ठी), एकवचन; समासः—तत्पुरुष (jale śāyī)

Speaker

Sūta (deduced from immediate continuation into Sūta-uvāca in next adhyāya context)

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: dvija-śreṣṭhas (assembled Brahmin sages)

Visual Art Cues

Scene: Sūta concludes the sacred narration before an attentive assembly of sages; the atmosphere is calm, reverent, and conclusive, with the image of Viṣṇu reclining on cosmic waters evoked in listeners’ minds.

Characters & Entities

• Devadeva
• Jalaśāyī (Viṣṇu)

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Listening to and transmitting a truly sacred Purāṇic account is itself a purifier that destroys accumulated sin.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

This verse functions as a concluding praise of the preceding tīrtha-narrative; the specific site is the one described earlier in Adhyāya 41.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

No specific rite is prescribed here; the emphasis is on the purifying merit of hearing/reciting the sacred narrative.