Skanda Purana — Prabhasa Khanda, Shloka 20

Devanagari script

पुराणश्र वणादेव अनेकभवसंचितम् । पापं प्रशममायाति सर्वतीर्थफलं लभेत्

Transliteration

purāṇaśra vaṇādeva anekabhavasaṃcitam | pāpaṃ praśamamāyāti sarvatīrthaphalaṃ labhet

Translation

പുരാണശ്രവണത്തിലൂടെ മാത്രം അനേകം ജന്മങ്ങളിൽ സമ്പാദിച്ച പാപം ശമിക്കുന്നു; സർവതീർത്ഥഫലവും ലഭിക്കുന്നു।

Word by Word

• पुराण-श्रवणात्: from (the act of) hearing the Purāṇa
• पुराण-श्रवणात्: Apadana (Cause/source/अपादान)
• Type: Noun
• Root: पुराण (प्रातिपदिक) + श्रवण (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: षष्ठी-तत्पुरुष (‘of Purāṇa’), नपुंसकलिङ्ग, पञ्चमी-विभक्ति (Ablative), एकवचन

• एव: alone/indeed
• एव: Sambandha (Emphasis/अवधारण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: एव (अव्यय)
• Form: अवधारणार्थक अव्यय (emphasis)

• अनेक-भव-संचितम्: accumulated over many births
• अनेक-भव-संचितम्: Karma (Object-qualifier/कर्मविशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: अनेक (प्रातिपदिक) + भव (प्रातिपदिक) + संचित (कृदन्त-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: तत्पुरुष-समास (बहुव्रीहिवत् विशेषणप्रयोगः), नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति, एकवचन; विशेषणम् (पापम्)

• पापम्: sin
• पापम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: पाप (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति, एकवचन

• प्रशमम्: cessation/quieting
• प्रशमम्: Gati/Karma (Goal state/गति-लक्ष्य)
• Type: Noun
• Root: प्रशम (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति, एकवचन; क्रियाविशेष्य (गत्यर्थे)

• आयाति: comes/attains
• आयाति: Kriya (Main verb/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: आ + या (धातु)
• Form: लट् (Present), परस्मैपद, प्रथमपुरुष, एकवचन

• सर्व-तीर्थ-फलम्: the fruit of all pilgrimages
• सर्व-तीर्थ-फलम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: सर्व (प्रातिपदिक) + तीर्थ (प्रातिपदिक) + फल (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: षष्ठी-तत्पुरुष (‘of all pilgrimages’), नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति, एकवचन

• लभेत्: would obtain
• लभेत्: Kriya (Main verb/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: लभ् (धातु)
• Form: विधिलिङ् (Optative), आत्मनेपद, प्रथमपुरुष, एकवचन

Speaker

Sūta (Lomaharṣaṇa) to the sages (contextual attribution within Purāṇic narration)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Dvārakā (as discourse locus) / ‘sarva-tīrtha’ (as promised aggregate fruit)

Type: kshetra

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: Śaunaka and other sages

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A circle of listeners around the reciter; as the Purāṇa is heard, dark smoke-like ‘pāpa’ dissolves into clear light; in the background appear faint icons of many tīrthas—rivers, ghats, mountains—symbolizing ‘sarva-tīrtha-phala’.

Characters & Entities

• Purāṇa
• Tīrtha (all sacred places)

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Purāṇic listening is a powerful dharmic act that purifies deep karmic residue and grants vast merit.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

The verse universalizes merit as ‘sarva-tīrtha-phala’; in context it supports the sacred itinerary and glory of Dvārakā within Prabhāsa Khaṇḍa.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

Śravaṇa (devout listening) of the Purāṇa is prescribed as a merit-giving practice.