Skanda Purana — Nagara Khanda, Shloka 24

Devanagari script

एतद्वः सर्वमाख्यातं चन्द्रमाहात्म्यमुत्तमम् । पठतां शृण्वतां चापि सर्वपातकनाशनम्

Transliteration

etadvaḥ sarvamākhyātaṃ candramāhātmyamuttamam | paṭhatāṃ śṛṇvatāṃ cāpi sarvapātakanāśanam

Translation

ചന്ദ്രന്റെ ഈ ഉത്തമ മഹാത്മ്യം ഞാൻ നിങ്ങളെല്ലാവർക്കും പൂർണ്ണമായി ആഖ്യാനം ചെയ്തു. ഇതു പാരായണം ചെയ്യുന്നവർക്കും ശ്രവിക്കുന്നവർക്കും സർവ്വപാപനാശം സംഭവിക്കുന്നു.

Word by Word

• एतत्: this
• एतत्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: एतद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया, एकवचन; वाक्ये कर्म/विषय (this account)

• वः: to you (all)
• वः: Sampradana (Recipient/सम्प्रदान)
• Type: Noun
• Root: युष्मद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: षष्ठी/चतुर्थी-बहुवचन-रूप (Genitive/Dative plural enclitic); अत्र चतुर्थी (to you) अधिकं युक्तम्

• सर्वम्: all/entire
• सर्वम्: Visheshana (Adjectival modifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: सर्व (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया, एकवचन; विशेषण (एतत्)

• आख्यातम्: narrated/told
• आख्यातम्: Kriya (Predicate/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: आ-ख्या (धातु) + क्त (कृदन्त)
• Form: भूतकर्मणि कृदन्त (past passive participle, क्त); नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया, एकवचन; (मया) आख्यातम् (has been narrated)

• चन्द्रमाहात्म्यम्: the glory of Candra
• चन्द्रमाहात्म्यम्: Apposition/Visheya (विषय-निर्देश)
• Type: Noun
• Root: चन्द्र + माहात्म्य (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया, एकवचन; षष्ठी-तत्पुरुष (चन्द्रस्य माहात्म्यम्)

• उत्तमम्: excellent/supreme
• उत्तमम्: Visheshana (Adjectival modifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: उत्तम (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया, एकवचन; विशेषण (चन्द्रमाहात्म्यम्)

• पठताम्: of those who recite/read
• पठताम्: Sambandha (Genitive relation/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: पठ् (धातु) + शतृ (कृदन्त)
• Form: वर्तमानकाले शतृ-प्रत्ययान्त कृदन्त (present active participle); षष्ठी-विभक्ति, बहुवचन (Genitive plural): 'of those who read'

• शृण्वताम्: of those who listen
• शृण्वताम्: Sambandha (Genitive relation/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: श्रु (धातु) + शतृ (कृदन्त)
• Form: वर्तमानकाले शतृ-प्रत्ययान्त कृदन्त; षष्ठी, बहुवचन: 'of those who listen'

• च: and
• च: Sambandha (Connector/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: च (अव्यय)
• Form: समुच्चयार्थक-अव्यय (conjunction)

• अपि: also/even
• अपि: Sambandha (Discourse particle/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: अपि (अव्यय)
• Form: निपात (particle), समुच्चय/अप्यर्थ (also/even)

• सर्वपातकनाशनम्: destroyer of all sins
• सर्वपातकनाशनम्: Pratijna/Predicate (विधेय)
• Type: Noun
• Root: सर्व + पातक + नाशन (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया, एकवचन; तत्पुरुष (सर्वेषां पातकानां नाशनम्)

Speaker

Sūta (deduced)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Candra-māhātmya (textual tīrtha)

Type: kshetra

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: Ṛṣis and subsequent audience

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A sage-narrator concludes the Candra-māhātmya; listeners sit in a forest āśrama, hands folded, as the words themselves are depicted as luminous syllables dissolving darkness (sins).

Characters & Entities

• Candra (Soma)
• Candramāhātmya
• Pāṭha (recitation)
• Śravaṇa (hearing)

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Śravaṇa (hearing) and pāṭha (recitation) of a māhātmya are themselves purifying acts that remove pāpa.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

The Candra/Soma shrine tradition within the Hāṭakeśvara-kṣetra narrative frame.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

Reciting and listening to the Candramāhātmya is recommended as a sin-destroying practice.