Skanda Purana — Brahma Khanda, Shloka 62

Devanagari script

कथाः पुण्या धर्मयुता रम्या व्यासमुखाच्छ्रुताः । धर्मकामार्थसंयुक्ताः सर्वाघौघविनाशिनीः

Transliteration

kathāḥ puṇyā dharmayutā ramyā vyāsamukhācchrutāḥ | dharmakāmārthasaṃyuktāḥ sarvāghaughavināśinīḥ

Translation

Ces récits sont saints, empreints de dharma et pleins de charme, entendus de la propre bouche de Vyāsa. Unis au dharma, au kāma et à l’artha, ils anéantissent le flot entier des péchés.

Word by Word

• कथाः: stories, narratives
• कथाः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: कथा (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति (1st/Nominative), बहुवचन

• पुण्याः: holy, meritorious
• पुण्याः: Visheshana (Adjectival/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: पुण्य (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, बहुवचन; विशेषण (qualifying ‘कथाः’)

• धर्मयुताः: endowed with dharma
• धर्मयुताः: Visheshana (Adjectival/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: धर्म (प्रातिपदिक) + युत (कृदन्त; √युज्/युज्-सम्बन्धे, past participial sense ‘joined/possessed’)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, बहुवचन; ‘धर्मेण युताः/धर्मयुक्ताः’ इति; विशेषण

• रम्याः: pleasant, delightful
• रम्याः: Visheshana (Adjectival/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: रम्य (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, बहुवचन; विशेषण

• व्यासमुखात्: from Vyāsa’s mouth
• व्यासमुखात्: Apadana (Source/अपादान)
• Type: Noun
• Root: व्यास (प्रातिपदिक) + मुख (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग (मुख), पञ्चमी-विभक्ति (5th/Ablative), एकवचन; ‘व्यासस्य मुखात्’

• श्रुताः: heard
• श्रुताः: Visheshana (Adjectival/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: √श्रु (धातु) + त (कृदन्त; क्त-प्रत्यय, past passive participle)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, बहुवचन; ‘श्रुत’ = heard; विशेषण (कथाः)

• धर्मकामार्थसंयुक्ताः: connected with dharma, desire, and wealth
• धर्मकामार्थसंयुक्ताः: Visheshana (Adjectival/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: धर्म (प्रातिपदिक) + काम (प्रातिपदिक) + अर्थ (प्रातिपदिक) + संयुक्त (कृदन्त; √युज्, क्त)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, बहुवचन; ‘धर्म-काम-अर्थैः संयुक्ताः’ (instrumental sense implied); विशेषण

• सर्वाघौघविनाशिनीः: destroyers of the flood of all sins
• सर्वाघौघविनाशिनीः: Visheshana (Adjectival/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: सर्व (प्रातिपदिक) + अघ (प्रातिपदिक) + ओघ (प्रातिपदिक) + विनाशिनी (प्रातिपदिक; from √नश् with vi-, feminine agent noun)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, बहुवचन; ‘सर्वेषाम् अघानाम् ओघस्य विनाशिनीः’ इति; विशेषण

Speaker

Yama (contextual; continuing address to Nārada)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Dharmāraṇya

Type: kshetra

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A sacred assembly where Vyāsa’s sanctified speech is praised; listeners sit in reverent attention as the ‘pāpa-flood’ is symbolically washed away by the current of kathā.

Characters & Entities

• Vyāsa (Kṛṣṇa Dvaipāyana)

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Listening to dharmic Purāṇic narratives, grounded in authoritative tradition (Vyāsa), purifies the listener and destroys accumulated sin.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

The verse broadly praises sacred kathā; the site-context is Dharmāraṇya, whose greatness is being introduced in this section.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

No specific rite is prescribed here; the implied practice is śravaṇa (devotional listening) of the sacred narrative.