Skanda Purana — Avanti Khanda, Shloka 82

Devanagari script

ये कथां वैष्णवीं भक्त्या शृण्वन्ति च नृपोत्तम । ब्रह्महत्यादिपापानि नश्यन्ते नात्र संशयः

Transliteration

ye kathāṃ vaiṣṇavīṃ bhaktyā śṛṇvanti ca nṛpottama | brahmahatyādipāpāni naśyante nātra saṃśayaḥ

Translation

Ô meilleur des rois, ceux qui écoutent avec dévotion le récit sacré vaiṣṇava—les péchés tels que le meurtre d’un brahmane et autres sont détruits; il n’y a là aucun doute.

Word by Word

• ये: who
• ये: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: यद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग (m.), प्रथमा (Nom./1st), बहुवचन (pl.)

• कथाम्: story/discourse
• कथाम्: Karman (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: कथा (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग (f.), द्वितीया (Acc./2nd), एकवचन (sg.)

• वैष्णवीम्: Vaiṣṇava (of Viṣṇu)
• वैष्णवीम्: Viśeṣaṇa (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: वैष्णवी (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग (f.), द्वितीया (Acc./2nd), एकवचन (sg.)

• भक्त्या: with devotion
• भक्त्या: Karaṇa (Instrument/करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: भक्ति (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग (f.), तृतीया (Instr./3rd), एकवचन (sg.)

• शृण्वन्ति: hear/listen
• शृण्वन्ति: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: श्रु (धातु)
• Form: लट् (Present), प्रथमपुरुष (3rd), बहुवचन (pl.)

• च: and
• च: Sambandha (Connector/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: च (अव्यय)
• Form: समुच्चयबोधक अव्यय (conjunction)

• नृपोत्तम: O best of kings
• नृपोत्तम: Sambodhana (Address/सम्बोधन)
• Type: Noun
• Root: नृप (प्रातिपदिक) + उत्तम (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग (m.), सम्बोधन (Vocative), एकवचन (sg.); कर्मधारयः (श्रेष्ठः नृपः)

• ब्रह्महत्यादिपापानि: sins such as brahma-murder
• ब्रह्महत्यादिपापानि: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: ब्रह्महत्या (प्रातिपदिक) + आदि (अव्यय/प्रातिपदिक) + पाप (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग (n.), प्रथमा (Nom./1st), बहुवचन (pl.); समाहार/समुच्चयार्थः—'ब्रह्महत्या-आदि पापानि'

• नश्यन्ते: perish
• नश्यन्ते: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: नश् (धातु)
• Form: लट् (Present), प्रथमपुरुष (3rd), बहुवचन (pl.); आत्मनेपदम्

• न: not
• न: Sambandha (Negation/निषेध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: न (अव्यय)
• Form: निषेधार्थक अव्यय (negation particle)

• अत्र: here/in this matter
• अत्र: Adhikaraṇa (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: अत्र (अव्यय)
• Form: देशवाचक अव्यय (adverb of place)

• संशयः: doubt
• संशयः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: संशय (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग (m.), प्रथमा (Nom./1st), एकवचन (sg.)

Speaker

Unspecified (addressing a king: nṛpottama)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Revā-kṣetra kathā-sabhā (contextual)

Type: kshetra

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: nṛpottama (best of kings)

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A royal audience or pilgrim assembly listens to a reciter narrating Vaiṣṇava kathā; the atmosphere is attentive, with manuscripts, rosaries, and the deity’s image nearby.

Characters & Entities

• Viṣṇu (Vaiṣṇava)

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Bhakti-filled listening to divine narratives is a powerful purifier that dissolves even grave sins.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

The teaching occurs within the Revākhaṇḍa’s tīrtha-glorification framework connected to the Revā (Narmadā) region.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

Śravaṇa—devoutly hearing Vaiṣṇava kathā (Hari-kathā/Purāṇic discourse).