Skanda Purana — Kashi Khanda, Shloka 1
शिवशर्मोवाच । ध्रुवाख्यानमिदं रम्यं महापातकनाशनम् । महाश्चर्यकरं पुण्यं श्रुत्वा तृप्तोस्मि भो गणौ
śivaśarmovāca | dhruvākhyānamidaṃ ramyaṃ mahāpātakanāśanam | mahāścaryakaraṃ puṇyaṃ śrutvā tṛptosmi bho gaṇau
शिवशर्मा म्हणाले—हे ध्रुवाख्यान रम्य असून महापातकांचा नाश करणारे आहे. हे पुण्य व अद्भुत आहे; हे गणहो, ते ऐकून मी तृप्त झालो.
Śivaśarman
Listener: gaṇa (assembly)
Scene: Śivaśarman addresses an assembly after hearing Dhruva’s tale; listeners sit in a semicircle, faces serene; a subtle aura of purification surrounds them, suggesting ‘mahāpātaka-nāśana’.
FAQs
Hearing (śravaṇa) Purāṇic devotee-narratives is itself a purifier that destroys even grave sins.
Not directly in this verse; it serves as a transition into the next adhyāya within the Kāśī-centered discourse.
Śravaṇa: listen to the Dhruva narrative for purification and merit.