Skanda Purana — Mahesvara Khanda, Shloka 31

Devanagari script

लोमश उवाच । श्रृणु भूप प्रवक्ष्यामि पूर्वजन्मसमुद्भवाम् । शिवधर्मयुतां पुण्यां कथां पापप्रणाशनीम्

Transliteration

lomaśa uvāca | śrṛṇu bhūpa pravakṣyāmi pūrvajanmasamudbhavām | śivadharmayutāṃ puṇyāṃ kathāṃ pāpapraṇāśanīm

Translation

Lomaśa dit : «Écoute, ô roi. Je vais te dire un récit saint issu d’une naissance antérieure, imprégné du dharma de Śiva, vertueux et capable d’anéantir le péché.»

Word by Word

• लोमशः: Lomaśa (sage)
• लोमशः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: लोमश (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति (Nominative), एकवचन (Singular)

• उवाच: said
• उवाच: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: वच् (धातु)
• Form: लिट्-लकार (Perfect), प्रथमपुरुष (3rd person), एकवचन (Singular), परस्मैपद

• शृणु: listen
• शृणु: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: श्रु (धातु)
• Form: लोट्-लकार (Imperative), मध्यमपुरुष (2nd person), एकवचन (Singular), परस्मैपद

• भूप: O king
• भूप: Sambodhana (Address/सम्बोधन)
• Type: Noun
• Root: भूप (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, सम्बोधन-प्रथमा (Vocative), एकवचन (Singular)

• प्रवक्ष्यामि: I shall tell
• प्रवक्ष्यामि: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: वच् (धातु)
• Form: लृट्-लकार (Simple Future), उत्तमपुरुष (1st person), एकवचन (Singular), परस्मैपद, उपसर्ग: प्र-

• पूर्वजन्मसमुद्भवाम्: arisen from a former birth
• पूर्वजन्मसमुद्भवाम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: पूर्व-जन्म-समुद्भवा (प्रातिपदिक; घटकाः: पूर्व + जन्म + समुद्भव)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति (Accusative), एकवचन (Singular); विशेषण (qualifying)

• शिवधर्मयुताम्: endowed with Śiva-dharma
• शिवधर्मयुताम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: शिव-धर्म-युता (प्रातिपदिक; घटकाः: शिव + धर्म + युत)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति (Accusative), एकवचन (Singular); विशेषण

• पुण्याम्: holy, meritorious
• पुण्याम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: पुण्य (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति (Accusative), एकवचन (Singular); विशेषण

• कथाम्: story, account
• कथाम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: कथा (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति (Accusative), एकवचन (Singular)

• पापप्रणाशनीम्: destroying sins
• पापप्रणाशनीम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: पाप-प्रणाशिनी (प्रातिपदिक; घटकाः: पाप + प्रणाशिनी)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति (Accusative), एकवचन (Singular); विशेषण

Speaker

Lomaśa

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: Bhūpa (king)

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A sage (Lomaśa) addresses a king in a forest-hermitage setting, beginning a former-birth account centered on Śiva-dharma; palm-leaf manuscripts, sacrificial fire, and attentive courtiers suggest sacred transmission.

Characters & Entities

• Lomaśa
• Śiva

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Hearing and transmitting Śiva-dharma narratives is presented as purifying and sin-destroying, linking devotion, ethics, and karmic outcomes.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

No specific site is mentioned in this verse; it introduces a Śaiva dharma narrative.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

Śravaṇa (devout listening) to a puṇya-kathā is implied as spiritually beneficial.