Skanda Purana — Kashi Khanda, Shloka 1
शिवशर्मोवाच । शुक्रसंबंधिनी देवौ कथा श्रावि मया शुभा । यस्याः श्रवणमात्रेण प्रीणिते श्रवणे मम
śivaśarmovāca | śukrasaṃbaṃdhinī devau kathā śrāvi mayā śubhā | yasyāḥ śravaṇamātreṇa prīṇite śravaṇe mama
ശിവശർമൻ പറഞ്ഞു—ഹേ ദേവീ! ശുക്രനുമായി ബന്ധപ്പെട്ട ഈ ശുഭകഥ ഞാൻ വിവരിച്ചു; ഇതിന്റെ ശ്രവണമാത്രത്താൽ തന്നെ, കേൾക്കുമ്പോഴേക്കും എന്റെ ഹൃദയം ആനന്ദത്തോടെ നിറയുന്നു।
Śivaśarman
Listener: Devī (addressed as ‘O goddess’)
Scene: Śivaśarman addresses a goddess (Devī) in a calm dialogue setting—perhaps an āśrama or shrine—expressing that the very act of narrating/hearing the Śukra-related story brings immediate joy.
FAQs
Sacred listening itself is meritorious—śravaṇa brings immediate inner joy and devotional purification.
The verse opens a new chapter within the Kāśīkhaṇḍa stream; the māhātmya intent remains tied to Kāśī’s culture of sacred narration and merit.
Śravaṇa of śubha-kathā—hearing auspicious Purāṇic accounts as a dharmic practice.