Skanda Purana — Prabhasa Khanda, Shloka 44

Devanagari script

भद्र उवाच । श्रूयतां राजशार्दूल कथां कथयतो मम । यां श्रुत्वा मुच्यते पापान्नरो नरवरोत्तम

Transliteration

bhadra uvāca | śrūyatāṃ rājaśārdūla kathāṃ kathayato mama | yāṃ śrutvā mucyate pāpānnaro naravarottama

Translation

ഭദ്രൻ പറഞ്ഞു—ഹേ രാജശാർദൂലാ! ഞാൻ പറയുന്ന ഈ കഥ ശ്രവിക്കൂ. ഇത് കേട്ടാൽ മനുഷ്യൻ പാപങ്ങളിൽ നിന്ന് മോചിതനാകും, ഹേ നരശ്രേഷ്ഠാ।

Word by Word

• भद्रः: Bhadra
• भद्रः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: भद्र (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st), एकवचन

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

• श्रूयताम्: let (it) be heard
• श्रूयताम्: Kriya (Verb/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: श्रु (धातु)
• Form: लोट् (Imperative), आत्मनेपद, प्रथमपुरुष (3rd), एकवचन; कर्मणि प्रयोग (passive): ‘let it be heard’

• राजशार्दूल: O tiger among kings
• राजशार्दूल: Sambodhana (Address/सम्बोधन)
• Type: Noun
• Root: राजन् (प्रातिपदिक) + शार्दूल (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: समासः षष्ठी-तत्पुरुषः (राज्ञः शार्दूलः); पुंलिङ्ग, सम्बोधन, एकवचन

• कथाम्: story
• कथाम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: कथा (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd), एकवचन

• कथयतः: (of) me telling
• कथयतः: Sambandha (Genitive/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Verb
• Root: कथय् (धातु)
• Form: शतृ-प्रत्ययान्त वर्तमानकृदन्त (present active participle), परस्मैपदी; षष्ठी (6th), एकवचन; ‘of me who am telling’

• मम: of me
• मम: Sambandha (Genitive/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: अस्मद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: सर्वनाम, षष्ठी (6th), एकवचन

• याम्: which
• याम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: यद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: सर्वनाम, स्त्रीलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd), एकवचन; सम्बन्धसूचक

• श्रुत्वा: having heard
• श्रुत्वा: Purvakala (Prior action)
• Type: Verb
• Root: श्रु (धातु)
• Form: क्त्वा-प्रत्ययान्त अव्ययकृदन्त (gerund/absolutive)

• मुच्यते: is freed
• मुच्यते: Kriya (Verb/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: मुच् (धातु)
• Form: लट् (Present), आत्मनेपद, प्रथमपुरुष (3rd), एकवचन; कर्मणि प्रयोग (passive)

• पापात्: from sin
• पापात्: Apadana (Ablative/अपादान)
• Type: Noun
• Root: पाप (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, पञ्चमी (5th), एकवचन; अपादान (from)

• नरः: a man
• नरः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: नर (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st), एकवचन

• नरवरोत्तम: O best of excellent men
• नरवरोत्तम: Sambodhana (Address/सम्बोधन)
• Type: Noun
• Root: नर (प्रातिपदिक) + वर (प्रातिपदिक) + उत्तम (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: समासः तत्पुरुषः (नराणां वरः, तेषाम् उत्तमः); पुंलिङ्ग, सम्बोधन, एकवचन

Speaker

Bhadra

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Vastrāpatha-kṣetra

Type: kshetra

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: a king (addressed as rājaśārdūla / naravara-uttama)

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A sage (Bhadra) addresses a royal listener, beginning a sacred account; the setting suggests a court or hermitage with attentive audience, palm-leaf manuscript, and ritual calm.

Characters & Entities

• Bhadra
• Gaja

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Śravaṇa (devotional hearing) of sacred narratives is itself a purifier that removes pāpa.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

The narrative belongs to the Vastrāpathakṣetra Māhātmya in Prabhāsa Khaṇḍa; the specific tīrtha details are about to be given.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

The implicit practice is attentive listening to the māhātmya (kathā-śravaṇa) as a means of purification.