Skanda Purana — Kashi Khanda, Shloka 24
आदित्यस्य कथामेतां द्रौपद्याराधितस्य वै । यः श्रोष्यति नरो भक्त्या तस्यैनः क्षयमेष्यति
ādityasya kathāmetāṃ draupadyārādhitasya vai | yaḥ śroṣyati naro bhaktyā tasyainaḥ kṣayameṣyati
«Quiconque, avec dévotion, écoute ce récit d’Āditya tel que l’adora Draupadī, verra ses fautes se dissiper et périr.»
Narrator (within Skanda’s discourse)
Scene: A devotional assembly in Kāśī: a sage recites the story of Draupadī’s worship of Āditya; listeners sit with folded hands as a radiant solar disc glows above, symbolizing pāpa-kṣaya through śravaṇa.
FAQs
Devotional listening (śravaṇa) to sacred narratives is itself a purifying practice that erodes pāpa (sin).
The story is situated in Kāśīkhaṇḍa, aligning the merit of śravaṇa with Kāśī’s sanctity.
Śravaṇa: hearing the Āditya-kathā with bhakti is prescribed as a means of purification.