Skanda Purana — Mahesvara Khanda, Shloka 190
ये श्रृण्वंति गृणंत्येतत्तेपि धन्या नरोत्तमाः
ye śrṛṇvaṃti gṛṇaṃtyetattepi dhanyā narottamāḥ
ഈ വൃത്താന്തം കേൾക്കുന്നവരും ഇതു പാരായണം ചെയ്യുന്നവരും—ആ നരശ്രേഷ്ഠർ ധന്യരാണ്.
Sūta (Lomaharṣaṇa) to the sages (deduced)
Tirtha: Mahākāla-liṅga mahātmya (as narrative)
Scene: A small assembly of devotees seated in a temple hall or under a sacred tree, listening to a reciter chanting the Mahākāla account; lamps flicker; the Liṅga is visible in the sanctum, linking narrative to place.
FAQs
Śravaṇa (hearing) and kīrtana (recitation) of sacred māhātmya are themselves meritorious paths of devotion.
The immediately preceding Mahākāla-liṅga māhātmya; the fruit extends even to those who only hear or recite it.
Hearing and reciting the māhātmya are recommended devotional practices (śravaṇa-kīrtana).