Skanda Purana — Brahma Khanda, Shloka 77

Devanagari script

सूत उवाच । एतद्वः कथितं विप्रा लोहासुरविचेष्टितम् । यच्छ्रुत्वा ब्रह्महा गोघ्नो मुच्यते सर्वपातकैः

Transliteration

sūta uvāca | etadvaḥ kathitaṃ viprā lohāsuraviceṣṭitam | yacchrutvā brahmahā goghno mucyate sarvapātakaiḥ

Translation

സൂതൻ പറഞ്ഞു—ഹേ വിപ്രന്മാരേ! ലോഹാസുരനുമായി ബന്ധപ്പെട്ട ഈ ചരിതം ഞാൻ നിങ്ങളോട് പറഞ്ഞു. ഇത് ശ്രവണമാത്രം കൊണ്ടു ബ്രഹ്മഹത്യക്കാരനും ഗോഹത്യക്കാരനും സർവ്വപാപങ്ങളിൽ നിന്ന് വിമുക്തനാകുന്നു.

Word by Word

• सूतः: Sūta
• सूतः: Karta (Speaker/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: सूत (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन; Nominative singular

• उवाच: said
• उवाच: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: वच् (धातु)
• Form: लिट् (Perfect), परस्मैपद, प्रथमपुरुष, एकवचन; ‘said’

• एतत्: this
• एतत्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: एतद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया-विभक्ति, एकवचन; here object ‘this’

• वः: to you (all)
• वः: Sampradana (Recipient/सम्प्रदान)
• Type: Noun
• Root: युष्मद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: षष्ठी/चतुर्थी-विभक्ति, बहुवचन (enclitic); here dative ‘to you’

• कथितम्: has been narrated
• कथितम्: Kriya (Predicative/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: कथित (कृदन्त; कथ् धातु + क्त)
• Form: भूतकर्मणि-प्रत्ययान्त (past passive participle), नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन; ‘has been told’

• विप्राः: O brāhmaṇas
• विप्राः: Sambodhana (Address)
• Type: Noun
• Root: विप्र (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, सम्बोधन-विभक्ति, बहुवचन; Vocative plural

• लोहासुरविचेष्टितम्: the deed/episode of the demon Loha
• लोहासुरविचेष्टितम्: Karma (Appositional object)
• Type: Noun
• Root: लोह-असुर-विचेष्टित (प्रातिपदिक; लोहासुरस्य विचेष्टितम्)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया-विभक्ति, एकवचन; apposition to ‘एतत्’

• यत्: which
• यत्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: यद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति, एकवचन; relative pronoun ‘which’ (object of श्रुत्वा)

• श्रुत्वा: having heard
• श्रुत्वा: Purvakala-kriya (Prior action)
• Type: Verb
• Root: श्रु (धातु)
• Form: क्त्वान्त-अव्यय (gerund/absolutive); ‘having heard’

• ब्रह्महा: a slayer of a brāhmaṇa
• ब्रह्महा: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: ब्रह्म-हन् (प्रातिपदिक; ब्रह्मणः हन्ता)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन; Nominative singular

• गोघ्नः: a cow-killer
• गोघ्नः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: गो-हन् (प्रातिपदिक; गवां हन्ता)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन; Nominative singular (in apposition)

• मुच्यते: is released
• मुच्यते: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: मुच् (धातु)
• Form: लट् (Present), आत्मनेपद, प्रथमपुरुष, एकवचन; कर्मणि-प्रयोग (passive sense) ‘is freed’

• सर्वपातकैः: from all sins
• सर्वपातकैः: Apadana (Separation/अपादान)
• Type: Noun
• Root: सर्व-पातक (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, तृतीया-विभक्ति, बहुवचन; Instrumental plural (ablatival sense with passive)

Speaker

Sūta

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Lohāsura-vicēṣṭita (Lohayaṣṭī context)

Type: kshetra

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: Viprāḥ (assembled brāhmaṇas/ṛṣis)

Visual Art Cues

Scene: Sūta seated in a forest hermitage assembly, addressing attentive brāhmaṇas; the tale of Lohāsura is symbolized behind him as a subdued demon figure dissolving into light, indicating sin-release through hearing.

Characters & Entities

• Sūta
• Vipras (brāhmaṇas)
• Lohāsura
• Brahmahatyā
• Gohatyā

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Reverent listening to tīrtha-māhātmya and Purāṇic narration is itself a purifier with vast atonement power.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

The Lohayaṣṭī/Lohāsura-associated tīrtha complex described in this Dharmāraṇya section.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

Śravaṇa (hearing) of the Lohāsura account is presented as a powerful means of purification.