Skanda Purana — Avanti Khanda, Shloka 175

Devanagari script

एवं यः शृणुते भक्त्या गोविन्दाख्यानमुत्तमम् । पठते परया भक्त्या भ्रूणहत्या प्रणश्यति

Transliteration

evaṃ yaḥ śṛṇute bhaktyā govindākhyānamuttamam | paṭhate parayā bhaktyā bhrūṇahatyā praṇaśyati

Translation

Ainsi, quiconque écoute avec dévotion ce récit sublime de Govinda, ou le récite avec une bhakti suprême, voit s’anéantir le péché du fœticide.

Word by Word

• एवम्: thus, in this manner
• एवम्: Sambandha (Adverbial/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: evam (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; प्रकारवाचक (adverb of manner)

• यः: who (he who)
• यः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: yad (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), एकवचन; सम्बन्धवाचक सर्वनाम (relative pronoun)

• शृणुते: hears, listens
• शृणुते: Kriya (Verb/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: śru (धातु)
• Form: लट् (Present), आत्मनेपद, प्रथमपुरुष (3rd), एकवचन

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

• गोविन्दाख्यानम्: the excellent narrative of Govinda
• गोविन्दाख्यानम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: govinda (प्रातिपदिक) + ākhyāna (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd/Accusative), एकवचन; षष्ठी-तत्पुरुष (govindasya ākhyānam)

• उत्तमम्: excellent, best
• उत्तमम्: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: uttama (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd/Accusative), एकवचन; विशेषण (qualifying ākhyānam)

• पठते: recites, reads
• पठते: Kriya (Verb/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: paṭh (धातु)
• Form: लट् (Present), आत्मनेपद, प्रथमपुरुष (3rd), एकवचन

• परया: supreme, highest
• परया: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: para (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, तृतीया (3rd/Instrumental), एकवचन; विशेषण (qualifying bhaktyā)

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

• भ्रूणहत्या: the sin of foeticide (killing an embryo)
• भ्रूणहत्या: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: bhrūṇa (प्रातिपदिक) + hatyā (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), एकवचन; षष्ठी-तत्पुरुष (bhrūṇasya hatyā)

• प्रणश्यति: perishes, is destroyed
• प्रणश्यति: Kriya (Verb/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: pra-√naś (धातु)
• Form: लट् (Present), परस्मैपद, प्रथमपुरुष (3rd), एकवचन

Speaker

Sūta (Lomaharṣaṇa) (deduced)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Revā-kṣetra (Narmadā tīrtha ambit)

Type: kshetra

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: nṛpasattama (best of kings) addressed in the immediate context

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A devotee seated near a tīrtha pavilion listens to a reciter narrating Govinda’s sacred account; the atmosphere is penitential yet luminous, with subtle iconographic presence of Viṣṇu/Kṛṣṇa bestowing absolution.

Characters & Entities

• Govindākhyāna

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Devotional listening and recitation of purāṇic kathā is presented as a powerful means of inner purification and moral restoration.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

This is a phalaśruti for the narrative within the Revā Khaṇḍa; it does not specify a single tirtha in the verse.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

Śravaṇa (listening) and pāṭha (recitation) of the Govindākhyāna with deep devotion.