Skanda Purana — Nagara Khanda, Shloka 19

Devanagari script

एतत्ते सर्वमाख्यातं पापपिंडस्य दापनम् । श्रवणादपि राजेंद्र यस्य पापैः प्रमुच्यते

Transliteration

etatte sarvamākhyātaṃ pāpapiṃḍasya dāpanam | śravaṇādapi rājeṃdra yasya pāpaiḥ pramucyate

Translation

പാപപിണ്ഡദാനത്തിന്റെ വിധി—ഇതെല്ലാം നിനക്കു വിശദീകരിച്ചു. ഹേ രാജേന്ദ്രാ, ഇതു കേൾക്കുന്നതുകൊണ്ടു മാത്രവും മനുഷ്യൻ പാപങ്ങളിൽ നിന്നു വിമുക്തനാകുന്നു.

Word by Word

• एतत्: this
• एतत्: Karta (Subject)
• Type: Noun
• Root: etat (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग; प्रथमा/द्वितीया विभक्ति; एकवचन (अत्र प्रथमा—‘एतत् ... आख्यातम्’)

• ते: to you
• ते: Sampradāna (Recipient)
• Type: Noun
• Root: tvad (युष्मद्-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: चतुर्थी/षष्ठी विभक्ति; एकवचन (अत्र चतुर्थी—‘to you’)

• सर्वम्: all
• सर्वम्: Viśeṣaṇa (Qualifier)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: sarva (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग; प्रथमा विभक्ति; एकवचन

• आख्यातम्: has been explained
• आख्यातम्: Kriyā (Predicative)
• Type: Verb
• Root: ā-√khyā (आ+ख्या—कथने) (धातु)
• Form: कृदन्त; क्त (PPP) ‘आख्यात’; नपुंसकलिङ्ग; प्रथमा विभक्ति; एकवचन (predicate participle)

• पापपिंडस्य: of the sin-mass (aggregate of sins)
• पापपिंडस्य: Sambandha (Genitive relation)
• Type: Noun
• Root: pāpa-piṇḍa (पाप + पिण्ड) (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग; षष्ठी विभक्ति; एकवचन; तत्पुरुष-समास (पापस्य पिण्डः)

• दापनम्: the rite of giving (away)
• दापनम्: Karta/Viśeṣya (Apposition to ‘etat’)
• Type: Noun
• Root: dāpana (दापयति—णिच् causative of दा) (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग; प्रथमा विभक्ति; एकवचन; भाव/क्रियानाम (act of causing to be given)

• श्रवणात्: from hearing (it)
• श्रवणात्: Apādāna (Cause/source)
• Type: Noun
• Root: śravaṇa (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग; पञ्चमी विभक्ति; एकवचन

• अपि: even
• अपि: Sambandha (Particle)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: api (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; अपि-कार (even/also)

• राजेन्द्र: O king of kings
• राजेन्द्र: Sambodhana (Address)
• Type: Noun
• Root: rāja-indra (राजन् + इन्द्र) (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग; सम्बोधन विभक्ति; एकवचन; तत्पुरुष-समास (राज्ञाम् इन्द्रः)

• यस्य: of whom/whose
• यस्य: Sambandha (Genitive)
• Type: Noun
• Root: yad (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग; षष्ठी विभक्ति; एकवचन

• पापैः: from sins / by sins (as the binding factor)
• पापैः: Karaṇa (Instrument)
• Type: Noun
• Root: pāpa (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग; तृतीया विभक्ति; बहुवचन

• प्रमुच्यते: is freed/released
• प्रमुच्यते: Kriyā (Predicate action)
• Type: Verb
• Root: pra-√muc (प्र+मुच्—मोचने) (धातु)
• Form: लट्; प्रथमपुरुष; एकवचन; आत्मनेपद; कर्मणि प्रयोग (passive)

Speaker

Narrator (contextual Purāṇic teacher addressing a King)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Pāpapiṇḍa-dāna (rite) within Kapāleśvara tīrtha context

Type: kshetra

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: Rājendra (king)

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A sage concludes instruction to a king: the ‘pāpapiṇḍa’ rite is explained; the king listens reverently, hands folded, with a manuscript or palm-leaf text nearby.

Characters & Entities

• rājendra
• pāpapiṇḍa

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Sacred instruction itself is purifying: attentive hearing of tīrthamāhātmya and dāna-vidhi grants sin-release.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

The verse summarizes a tīrthamāhātmya teaching; it highlights the rite’s merit rather than naming a particular tīrtha.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

It concludes the explanation of pāpapiṇḍa-dāna and emphasizes śravaṇa (listening) as itself meritorious.