Skanda Purana — Mahesvara Khanda, Shloka 52

Devanagari script

यः पठेच्छृणुयाद्वापि कुमारस्य महात्मनः । चरितं तारकाख्यं च सर्वपापैः समुच्यते

Transliteration

yaḥ paṭhecchṛṇuyādvāpi kumārasya mahātmanaḥ | caritaṃ tārakākhyaṃ ca sarvapāpaiḥ samucyate

Translation

Quiconque récite—ou même écoute—les actes sacrés du magnanime Kumāra, en particulier le récit nommé « Tāraka », est entièrement délivré de tous les péchés.

Word by Word

• यः: whoever
• यः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: यद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन

• पठेत्: should read
• पठेत्: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: पठ् (धातु)
• Form: विधिलिङ् (optative), परस्मैपद, प्रथमपुरुष, एकवचन

• शृणुयात्: should hear/listen
• शृणुयात्: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: श्रु (धातु)
• Form: विधिलिङ् (optative), परस्मैपद, प्रथमपुरुष, एकवचन

• वा: or
• वा: Avyaya (Connector/अव्यय)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: वा (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; विकल्पार्थक (disjunctive particle)

• अपि: also, even
• अपि: Avyaya (Particle/अव्यय)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: अपि (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; समुच्चय/अपि-निपात (also/even)

• कुमारस्य: of Kumāra
• कुमारस्य: Ṣaṣṭhī-sambandha (Genitive relation/षष्ठी)
• Type: Noun
• Root: कुमार (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, षष्ठी-विभक्ति, एकवचन

• महात्मनः: of the great-souled
• महात्मनः: Viśeṣaṇa (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: महात्मन् (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, षष्ठी-विभक्ति, एकवचन; ‘कुमारस्य’ इत्यस्य विशेषणम्

• चरितम्: the story/deeds
• चरितम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: चरित (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति, एकवचन

• तारकाख्यम्: called ‘Tāraka’
• तारकाख्यम्: Viśeṣaṇa (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: तारक (प्रातिपदिक) + आख्य (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया, एकवचन; समासः—तारक-आख्य (तत्पुरुष: ‘तारक-नामक’)

• च: and
• च: Avyaya (Connector/अव्यय)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: च (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; समुच्चय-बोधक

• सर्वपापैः: from all sins
• सर्वपापैः: Apādāna (Ablative sense via instrumental/अपादानार्थ-तृतीया)
• Type: Noun
• Root: सर्व (प्रातिपदिक) + पाप (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, तृतीया-विभक्ति (अपादान/हेतु-प्रायः), बहुवचन; समासः—सर्व-पाप (कर्मधारय: ‘सर्वाणि पापानि’)

• समुच्यते: is released/freed
• समुच्यते: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: सम् + उच् (धातु)
• Form: लट्-लकार (वर्तमान), आत्मनेपद, प्रथमपुरुष, एकवचन; कर्मणि/भावे प्रयोगः (passive sense)

Speaker

Sūta (Lomaharṣaṇa) narrating to the sages (deduced)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Tāraka-kathā (within Kumāra-carita)

Type: kshetra

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A reciter chants the Tāraka episode; listeners sit in reverent rows; a subtle visual metaphor shows sins falling away as dark fragments; Skanda’s victorious form appears in the mind’s eye or as a radiant vision above the assembly.

Characters & Entities

• Kumāra (Skanda/Kārttikeya)
• Tāraka

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Śravaṇa and pāṭha of sacred narratives purify the listener/reciter and dissolve accumulated pāpa.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

The Kedārakhaṇḍa setting frames the teaching; the immediate focus is the merit of the Tāraka-carita rather than a single shrine.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

Pāṭha (recitation) and śravaṇa (hearing) of Kumāra’s Tāraka-carita.