Skanda Purana — Nagara Khanda, Shloka 1

Devanagari script

ब्रह्मोवाच । तपः शृणुष्व विप्रेंद्र विस्तरेण महामते । यस्य श्रवणमात्रेण चातुर्मास्येऽ घनाशनम्

Transliteration

brahmovāca | tapaḥ śṛṇuṣva vipreṃdra vistareṇa mahāmate | yasya śravaṇamātreṇa cāturmāsye' ghanāśanam

Translation

ബ്രഹ്മാവ് പറഞ്ഞു—ഹേ വിപ്രേന്ദ്രാ, ഹേ മഹാമതേ! ഈ തപസ്സിനെ വിശദമായി ശ്രവിക്ക; ഇതിന്റെ ശ്രവണമാത്രത്താൽ തന്നെ ചാതുര്മാസ്യത്തിൽ സഞ്ചിതമായ പാപങ്ങൾ നശിക്കുന്നു.

Word by Word

• ब्रह्मा: Brahmā
• ब्रह्मा: Karta (Speaker/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: ब्रह्मन् (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन; वक्ता (speaker)

• उवाच: said
• उवाच: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: वच् (धातु)
• Form: लिट् (perfect), प्रथमपुरुष (3rd), एकवचन; परस्मैपद

• तपः: austerity; penance (topic)
• तपः: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: तपस् (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया, एकवचन; कर्म (श्रवणस्य विषयः)

• शृणुष्व: listen
• शृणुष्व: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: श्रु (धातु)
• Form: लोट् (imperative), मध्यमपुरुष (2nd), एकवचन; परस्मैपद

• विप्रेन्द्र: O best of Brahmins
• विप्रेन्द्र: Sambodhana (Address/सम्बोधन)
• Type: Noun
• Root: विप्र + इन्द्र (प्रातिपदिक-समूह)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, सम्बोधन (8th/सम्बोधन), एकवचन; संबोधन; समासः: विप्र-इन्द्र = ‘chief of Brahmins’

• विस्तरेण: in detail
• विस्तरेण: Kriya-vishesana (Adverbial/क्रियाविशेषण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: विस्तर (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: तृतीया-एकवचनरूपेण क्रियाविशेषणवत् (instrumental used adverbially)

• महामते: O great-minded one
• महामते: Sambodhana (Address/सम्बोधन)
• Type: Noun
• Root: महा + मति (प्रातिपदिक-समूह)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, सम्बोधन, एकवचन; बहुव्रीहिः: महा-मति-यस्य सः = ‘one of great intellect’

• यस्य: whose
• यस्य: Sambandha (Genitive/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: यद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुं/नपुंसकलिङ्ग, षष्ठी, एकवचन; सम्बन्ध

• श्रवणमात्रेण: by mere hearing
• श्रवणमात्रेण: Karana (Instrument/करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: श्रवण + मात्र (प्रातिपदिक-समूह)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, तृतीया, एकवचन; करण; समासः: श्रवण-मात्र = ‘mere hearing’

• चातुर्मास्ये: in Cāturmāsya
• चातुर्मास्ये: Adhikarana (Locative/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: चातुर्मास्य (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, सप्तमी, एकवचन; अधिकरण

• घनाशनम्: (there is) eating of solid/heavy food
• घनाशनम्: Karta (Predicate/विधेय)
• Type: Noun
• Root: घन + अशन (प्रातिपदिक-समूह)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन; विधेय; समासः: घन-अशन = ‘eating of dense/solid (food)’ (i.e., heavy food)

Speaker

Brahmā

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Hāṭakeśvara-kṣetra (context)

Type: kshetra

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: Nārada

Visual Art Cues

Scene: Brahmā instructs Nārada in an assembly; Nārada listens intently with vīṇā at his side; monsoon sky hints at Cāturmāsya; a distant shrine of reclining Viṣṇu anchors the theme.

Characters & Entities

• Brahmā
• Nārada
• Cāturmāsya

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Hearing dharmic teaching itself is purifying; attentive śravaṇa becomes a form of tapas that removes sin.

Which specific holy site (Tīrtha) is glorified here?

The immediate verse stresses Cāturmāsya’s merit; the broader section belongs to the Hāṭakeśvara-kṣetra māhātmya within Nāgara Khaṇḍa.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

The prescription is to listen (śravaṇa) to the detailed teaching on tapas/Cāturmāsya.