Skanda Purana — Kashi Khanda, Shloka 110

Devanagari script

स्कंद उवाच । श्रुत्वाख्यानमिदं पुण्यं कोटिजन्माघनाशनम् । पठित्वा पाठयित्वा च शिवसायुज्यमाप्नुयात्

Transliteration

skaṃda uvāca | śrutvākhyānamidaṃ puṇyaṃ koṭijanmāghanāśanam | paṭhitvā pāṭhayitvā ca śivasāyujyamāpnuyāt

Translation

Skanda dit : Entendre ce récit sacré détruit les péchés amassés au cours de dizaines de millions de naissances. Et en le récitant—et en faisant réciter autrui—on obtient l’union avec Śiva (śiva-sāyujya).

Word by Word

• skaṃdaḥ: Skanda
• skaṃdaḥ: Karta (कर्ता/Speaker)
• Type: Noun
• Root: skaṃda (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन

• uvāca: said
• uvāca: Kriya (क्रिया/Verb)
• Type: Verb
• Root: √vac (वचने धातु)
• Form: लिट्-लकार (Perfect), परस्मैपद, प्रथमपुरुष, एकवचन

• śrutvā: having heard
• śrutvā: Purvakala (पूर्वकाल/Prior action)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: √śru (श्रवणे धातु) + ktvā (क्त्वा)
• Form: क्त्वान्त-अव्यय (gerund/absolutive)

• ākhyānam: narration; account
• ākhyānam: Karma (कर्म/Object)
• Type: Noun
• Root: ākhyāna (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति (2nd/Accusative), एकवचन

• idam: this
• idam: Visheshana (विशेषण/Qualifier)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: idam (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति, एकवचन; सर्वनाम; विशेषणम् (ākhyānam)

• puṇyam: meritorious; holy
• puṇyam: Visheshana (विशेषण/Qualifier)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: puṇya (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति, एकवचन; विशेषणम् (ākhyānam)

• koṭi-janma-agha-nāśanam: destroyer of sins of crores of births
• koṭi-janma-agha-nāśanam: Visheshana (विशेषण/Qualifier)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: koṭi (प्रातिपदिक) + janman (प्रातिपदिक) + agha (प्रातिपदिक) + nāśana (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति, एकवचन; समासः—तत्पुरुष (koṭijanma = koṭīnāṃ janmānām; agha-nāśanam = aghasya nāśanam); विशेषणम् (ākhyānam)

• paṭhitvā: having read
• paṭhitvā: Purvakala (पूर्वकाल/Prior action)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: √paṭh (पठने धातु) + ktvā (क्त्वा)
• Form: क्त्वान्त-अव्यय (gerund/absolutive)

• pāṭhayitvā: having caused (others) to read; having recited/taught
• pāṭhayitvā: Purvakala (पूर्वकाल/Prior action)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: √paṭh (पठने धातु) + ṇic (णिच्/causative) + ktvā (क्त्वा)
• Form: णिजन्त-क्त्वान्त-अव्यय (causative gerund)

• ca: and
• ca: Sambandha (सम्बन्ध/Connector)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: ca (अव्यय)
• Form: समुच्चय-अव्यय (conjunction)

• śiva-sāyujyam: union with Śiva
• śiva-sāyujyam: Karma (कर्म/Object)
• Type: Noun
• Root: śiva (प्रातिपदिक) + sāyujya (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति, एकवचन; समासः—तत्पुरुष (śivena sāyujyam / śivasya sāyujyam)

• āpnuyāt: may attain
• āpnuyāt: Kriya (क्रिया/Verb)
• Type: Verb
• Root: ā + √āp (प्राप्तौ धातु)
• Form: विधिलिङ्-लकार (Optative), परस्मैपद, प्रथमपुरुष, एकवचन; उपसर्गः—आ

Speaker

Skanda (explicit)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Kāśī-māhātmya (as a ‘textual tīrtha’)

Type: kshetra

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: Audience within the Kāśīkhaṇḍa frame (ṛṣis/pilgrims—contextual)

Visual Art Cues

Scene: Skanda delivering a phalaśruti: seated in divine assembly, calm and radiant, blessing listeners; a manuscript/palm-leaf text present; devotees listening with folded hands; a subtle vision of Śiva’s luminous form indicating sāyujya.

Characters & Entities

• Skanda
• Śiva

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Devotional listening and recitation of sacred māhātmya purifies karmic burden and leads toward liberation as union with Śiva.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

The verse is a phalaśruti for the Kāśīkhaṇḍa narrative, thus supporting the glory of Kāśī and its sanctifying discourse.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

Śravaṇa (hearing), pāṭha (recitation), and pāṭhana (teaching/causing recitation) of the sacred narrative as a spiritual practice.