Skanda Purana — Prabhasa Khanda, Shloka 167

Devanagari script

ब्रह्मेशनारायणपुण्यचेतसां शृण्वन्ति चित्रं चरितं महात्मनाम् । मुच्यंति पापैः कलिकालसंभवैर्यास्यंति नाकं गणवृन्दवंदिताः

Transliteration

brahmeśanārāyaṇapuṇyacetasāṃ śṛṇvanti citraṃ caritaṃ mahātmanām | mucyaṃti pāpaiḥ kalikālasaṃbhavairyāsyaṃti nākaṃ gaṇavṛndavaṃditāḥ

Translation

ബ്രഹ്മാ, ഈശൻ, നാരായണൻ എന്നിവരോടുള്ള ഭക്തിയാൽ പുണ്യചിത്തരായവർ മഹാത്മാക്കളുടെ ഈ അത്ഭുതചരിതം ശ്രവിക്കുമ്പോൾ, കലിയുഗജന്യ പാപങ്ങളിൽ നിന്ന് മോചിതരായി, ഗണവൃന്ദങ്ങൾ വന്ദിച്ച് സ്വർഗ്ഗത്തിലേക്ക് ഗമിക്കുന്നു।

Word by Word

• ब्रह्म: Brahmā
• ब्रह्म: Sambandha (Compound member/समासाङ्ग)
• Type: Noun
• Root: ब्रह्मन् (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रातिपदिक-रूप (समासाङ्ग)

• ईश: Īśa (Śiva)
• ईश: Sambandha (Compound member/समासाङ्ग)
• Type: Noun
• Root: ईश (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रातिपदिक-रूप (समासाङ्ग)

• नारायण: Nārāyaṇa (Viṣṇu)
• नारायण: Sambandha (Compound member/समासाङ्ग)
• Type: Noun
• Root: नारायण (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रातिपदिक-रूप (समासाङ्ग)

• पुण्यचेतसाम्: of the pure-minded
• पुण्यचेतसाम्: Sambandha (Genitive/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: पुण्य + चेतस् (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, षष्ठी (6th/Genitive), बहुवचन; ‘पुण्यचेतस्’ = पुण्यं चेतः येषाम् (pure-minded)

• शृण्वन्ति: hear
• शृण्वन्ति: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: श्रु (धातु)
• Form: लट् (Present), प्रथमपुरुष, बहुवचन; परस्मैपद

• चित्रम्: wonderful
• चित्रम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: चित्र (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया, एकवचन; विशेषण—चरितम्

• चरितम्: deed/legend
• चरितम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: चरित (कृदन्त-प्रातिपदिक; √चर्)
• Form: भूतकृदन्त (past participle used as noun), नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया, एकवचन

• महात्मनाम्: of the great-souled ones
• महात्मनाम्: Sambandha (Genitive/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: महात्मन् (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, षष्ठी, बहुवचन

• मुच्यन्ति: are freed
• मुच्यन्ति: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: मुच् (धातु)
• Form: लट् (Present), प्रथमपुरुष, बहुवचन; कर्मणि प्रयोग (passive)

• पापैः: from sins
• पापैः: Apadana (Separation/अपादान)
• Type: Noun
• Root: पाप (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, तृतीया (3rd/Instrumental), बहुवचन

• कलिकालसम्भवैः: arising in the Kali age
• कलिकालसम्भवैः: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: कलि + काल + सम्भव (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, तृतीया, बहुवचन; विशेषण—पापैः; ‘कलिकालसम्भव’ = कलिकाले सम्भवः (arising in Kali age)

• यास्यन्ति: will go
• यास्यन्ति: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: या (धातु)
• Form: लृट् (Simple Future), प्रथमपुरुष, बहुवचन; परस्मैपद

• नाकम्: to heaven
• नाकम्: Karma (Goal/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: नाक (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया, एकवचन

• गणवृन्दवन्दिताः: praised by hosts (of Gaṇas)
• गणवृन्दवन्दिताः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: गण + वृन्द + वन्दित (कृदन्त; √वन्द्)
• Form: भूतकर्मणि कृदन्त (past passive participle), पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, बहुवचन; ‘गणवृन्दैः वन्दिताः’ (praised by hosts of attendants)

Speaker

Sūta (deduced, concluding phalaśruti tone typical of māhātmya passages)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Vastrāpatha-kṣetra

Type: kshetra

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: null

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A tīrtha-satsaṅga at Vastrāpatha: devotees with folded hands listen to a sage reciting the wondrous deeds of great souls; above, celestial gaṇas honor the listeners as a radiant path to svarga opens.

Characters & Entities

• Brahmā
• Īśa (Śiva)
• Nārāyaṇa
• Gaṇas
• Kali-yuga

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Listening with faith to sacred narratives purifies the mind and destroys Kali-yuga sins, leading to auspicious higher states.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

The fruit of hearing pertains to the Vastrāpatha Kṣetra māhātmya within Prabhāsa Khaṇḍa.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

Śravaṇa (devout listening) to the māhātmya is prescribed as a Kali-yuga remedy yielding merit and purification.