Skanda Purana — Brahma Khanda, Shloka 13

Devanagari script

एतद्वः कथितं सर्वं धर्मारण्यस्य चेष्टितम् । यच्छ्रुत्वा ब्रह्महा गोघ्नो मुच्यते सर्वपातकैः

Transliteration

etadvaḥ kathitaṃ sarvaṃ dharmāraṇyasya ceṣṭitam | yacchrutvā brahmahā goghno mucyate sarvapātakaiḥ

Translation

ധർമ്മാരണ്യത്തിന്റെ ഈ സമസ്ത മഹിമയും പവിത്രചരിതവും ഞാൻ നിങ്ങളോട് പറഞ്ഞു. ഇതു കേട്ടാൽ ബ്രഹ്മഹന്താവോ ഗോഹന്താവോ ആയാലും എല്ലാ പാതകങ്ങളിൽ നിന്നും മോചിതനാകും.

Word by Word

• एतत्: this
• एतत्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: एतद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया, एकवचन

• वः: to you / for you
• वः: Sampradana (Recipient/सम्प्रदान)
• Type: Noun
• Root: युष्मद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: षष्ठी (6th) बहुवचन (enclitic); 'of you/for you'

• कथितम्: has been told
• कथितम्: Kriya (Predicate/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: √कथ् (धातु) > कथित (कृदन्त)
• Form: भूतकर्मणि कृदन्त (क्त), नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया, एकवचन

• सर्वम्: all, entire
• सर्वम्: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: सर्व (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया, एकवचन; एतत् इति विशेषण

• धर्म: dharma
• धर्म: Sambandha (Compound member/समासाङ्ग)
• Type: Noun
• Root: धर्म (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: प्रातिपदिक (समासाङ्ग)

• अरण्यस्य: of Dharmāraṇya
• अरण्यस्य: Sambandha (Genitive/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: अरण्य (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, षष्ठी (6th), एकवचन; धर्म+अरण्य (तत्पुरुष: 'Dharma-forest')

• च: and
• च: Sambandha (Connector/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: च (अव्यय)
• Form: समुच्चयबोधक अव्यय (conjunction)

• ईष्टितम्: the practice/observance
• ईष्टितम्: Karma (Apposition/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: √ईष्ट्/√इष् (धातु) > ईष्टित (कृदन्त)
• Form: भूतकर्मणि कृदन्त (क्त), नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया, एकवचन; 'done/observed conduct'

• यत्: which
• यत्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: यद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd), एकवचन; सम्बन्धबोधक (relative)

• श्रुत्वा: having heard
• श्रुत्वा: Kriya (Prior action/पूर्वक्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: √श्रु (धातु) > श्रुत्वा (क्त्वान्त)
• Form: क्त्वा-प्रत्ययान्त अव्ययकृदन्त (gerund)

• ब्रह्महा: a slayer of a brāhmaṇa
• ब्रह्महा: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: ब्रह्महन् (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुल्लिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st), एकवचन

• गोघ्नः: a cow-killer
• गोघ्नः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: गोघ्न (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुल्लिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st), एकवचन; ब्रह्महा इति सह समनाधिकरण

• मुच्यते: is freed
• मुच्यते: Kriya (Predicate/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: √मुच् (धातु)
• Form: लट् (present), प्रथमपुरुष (3rd), एकवचन, आत्मनेपद; कर्मणि/मध्यार्थ (is released)

• सर्व: all
• सर्व: Sambandha (Compound member/समासाङ्ग)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: सर्व (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: प्रातिपदिक (समासाङ्ग)

• पातकैः: from all sins
• पातकैः: Apadana (Ablative sense via instrumental/अपादान)
• Type: Noun
• Root: पातक (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, तृतीया (3rd), बहुवचन; सर्व+पातक (तत्पुरुष: 'from all sins')

Speaker

Sūta (deduced)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Dharmāraṇya

Type: kshetra

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A narrator-sage concludes the Dharmāraṇya account to an assembly; listeners include remorseful figures symbolically representing brahmahā and go-ghna, shown being washed in light as the kathā is heard.

Characters & Entities

• Dharmāraṇya
• Brahmahatyā
• Gohatyā

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

The māhātmya of a sacred place is itself purifying; devoted hearing can loosen even the gravest bonds of sin.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

Dharmāraṇya, whose narrated glory is said to liberate listeners from pātakas.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

Śravaṇa—listening to the Dharmāraṇya māhātmya as a purificatory practice.