Skanda Purana — Nagara Khanda, Shloka 42

Devanagari script

यश्चैतत्पठते नित्यं शृणुयाद्यो विशेषतः । शनैश्चरकृता पीडा तस्य नाशं प्रगच्छति

Transliteration

yaścaitatpaṭhate nityaṃ śṛṇuyādyo viśeṣataḥ | śanaiścarakṛtā pīḍā tasya nāśaṃ pragacchati

Translation

Quiconque récite ceci chaque jour—ou, plus encore, quiconque l’écoute avec ferveur—voit s’anéantir l’affliction causée par Śanaiścara (Śani).

Word by Word

• यः: who (he who)
• यः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: यद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st case), एकवचन; सम्बन्धबोधकः सापेक्षः सर्वनाम

• च: and
• च: Samuccaya (Connector)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: च (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; समुच्चय (conjunction)

• एतत्: this (text)
• एतत्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: एतद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd case), एकवचन; कर्म

• पठते: recites/reads
• पठते: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: पठ् (धातु)
• Form: लट् (Present), प्रथमपुरुष, एकवचन; आत्मनेपदी

• नित्यम्: always, daily
• नित्यम्: Kriya-visheshana (Adverbial modifier)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: नित्य (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: अव्ययीभाववत् अव्यय; कालवाचक क्रियाविशेषण

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

• यः: who
• यः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: यद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st case), एकवचन; सम्बन्धबोधकः सापेक्षः सर्वनाम (repeated for emphasis)

• विशेषतः: especially
• विशेषतः: Kriya-visheshana (Adverbial modifier)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: विशेष (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: तसिल्-प्रत्ययान्त अव्यय; प्रकारे (especially)

• शनैश्चरकृता: caused by Śanaiścara (Saturn)
• शनैश्चरकृता: Visheshana (Qualifier)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: शनैश्चर (प्रातिपदिक) + कृत (कृदन्त-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: क्त (past passive participle) ‘कृत’; स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st case), एकवचन; पीडा इति पदस्य विशेषणम्; षष्ठी-तत्पुरुषः (शनैश्चरेण कृता)

• पीडा: affliction, pain
• पीडा: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: पीडा (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st case), एकवचन; कर्ता (वाक्ये विषयः)

• तस्य: of him/of that person
• तस्य: Sambandha (Genitive relation)
• Type: Noun
• Root: तद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: षष्ठी (6th case), एकवचन; सम्बन्ध

• नाशम्: destruction, cessation
• नाशम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: नाश (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd case), एकवचन; कर्म

• प्रगच्छति: goes to, attains
• प्रगच्छति: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: प्र + गम् (धातु)
• Form: लट् (Present), प्रथमपुरुष, एकवचन; परस्मैपदी

Speaker

Sūta

Tirtha Mahatmya

Type: kshetra

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: Dvijas/ṛṣis

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A devotee recites the story while others listen; above them, the oppressive shadow of Śanaiścara lifts, symbolizing the destruction of affliction through sacred hearing.

Characters & Entities

• Sūta
• Śanaiścara

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Regular recitation and devoted listening are upheld as powerful spiritual practices that dissolve suffering and fear.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

No single tīrtha is named in this verse; it gives the phala (benefit) of the narrative within the tīrtha-māhātmya discourse.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

Nitya-pāṭha (regular recitation) and viśeṣa-śravaṇa (attentive hearing) of the account as a remedy for Śani-caused distress.