Skanda Purana — Nagara Khanda, Shloka 49

Devanagari script

सूत उवाच । एतद्वः सर्वमाख्यातं गोत्रसंख्यानकं शुभम् । ऋषीणां कीर्तनं चापि सर्वपातकनाशनम्

Transliteration

sūta uvāca | etadvaḥ sarvamākhyātaṃ gotrasaṃkhyānakaṃ śubham | ṛṣīṇāṃ kīrtanaṃ cāpi sarvapātakanāśanam

Translation

സൂതൻ പറഞ്ഞു—ഗോത്രങ്ങളുടെ എണ്ണിപ്പറയുന്ന ഈ ശുഭവിവരണം നിങ്ങളോട് മുഴുവനായി അറിയിച്ചു. ഋഷിമാരുടെ നാമകീർത്തനവും സർവ്വപാപനാശകമാണ്।

Word by Word

• sūtaḥ: Sūta
• sūtaḥ: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: sūta (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1), एकवचन

• uvāca: said
• uvāca: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: √vac (धातु)
• Form: लिट् (परोक्षभूत/परिपूर्णभूत), प्रथमपुरुष, एकवचन; परस्मैपद

• etat: this
• etat: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: etad (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया (1/2), एकवचन; सर्वनाम

• vaḥ: to you / of you
• vaḥ: Sampradana (Recipient/सम्प्रदान)
• Type: Noun
• Root: yusmad (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: षष्ठी/चतुर्थी (6/4), बहुवचन; सर्वनाम (enclitic)

• sarvam: all, entire
• sarvam: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: sarva (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया (1/2), एकवचन; विशेषण

• ākhyātam: has been told/declared
• ākhyātam: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: ā-√khyā (धातु) → ākhyāta (कृदन्त, भूतकर्मणि)
• Form: भूतकर्मणि कृदन्त (क्त), नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया (1/2), एकवचन; कर्मणि-प्रयोगार्थे (told/declared)

• gotra-saṃkhyānakam: enumerating the lineages (gotras)
• gotra-saṃkhyānakam: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: gotra (प्रातिपदिक) + saṃkhyānaka (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया (1/2), एकवचन; षष्ठी-तत्पुरुष (gotrāṇāṃ saṃkhyānakaṃ)

• śubham: auspicious
• śubham: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: śubha (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया (1/2), एकवचन; विशेषण

• ṛṣīṇām: of the sages
• ṛṣīṇām: Sambandha (Genitive relation/षष्ठी-सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: ṛṣi (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, षष्ठी (6), बहुवचन

• kīrtanam: recitation, praising
• kīrtanam: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: kīrtana (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया (1/2), एकवचन

• ca: and
• ca: Samuccaya (Connector/समुच्चय)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: ca (अव्यय)
• Form: समुच्चय-अव्यय (conjunction)

• api: also
• api: Sambandha (Particle/निपात)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: api (अव्यय)
• Form: सम्भावना/समुच्चय-अव्यय (particle: also/even)

• sarva-pātaka-nāśanam: destroyer of all sins
• sarva-pātaka-nāśanam: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: sarva (प्रातिपदिक) + pātaka (प्रातिपदिक) + nāśana (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया (1/2), एकवचन; षष्ठी-तत्पुरुष (sarveṣāṃ pātakānāṃ nāśanam)

Speaker

Sūta

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: assembled ṛṣis/brāhmaṇas

Visual Art Cues

Scene: Sūta seated in a forest-assembly (naimiṣa-like), addressing attentive sages/brāhmaṇas; palm-leaf manuscripts nearby; the air subtly brightens as ṛṣi-names are spoken, symbolizing pāpa-nāśa through sound.

Characters & Entities

• Sūta
• Ṛṣi (sages)
• Gotra

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Remembering and reciting the lineage-and-sage tradition is presented as a purifying dharmic act that removes sin.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

This verse states the general phala (benefit) within the Nāgarakhaṇḍa Tīrthamāhātmya context, rather than naming a single tīrtha in the line itself.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

Kīrtana/paṭhana—recitation of gotra lists and sages’ names—as a meritorious practice.