Skanda Purana — Brahma Khanda, Shloka 77

Devanagari script

सूत उवाच । एतद्वः कथितं विप्रा लोहासुरविचेष्टितम् । यच्छ्रुत्वा ब्रह्महा गोघ्नो मुच्यते सर्वपातकैः

Transliteration

sūta uvāca | etadvaḥ kathitaṃ viprā lohāsuraviceṣṭitam | yacchrutvā brahmahā goghno mucyate sarvapātakaiḥ

Translation

Sūta berkata: Wahai para brāhmaṇa, demikian telah aku kisahkan kepada kamu perihal perbuatan yang berkaitan dengan Lohāsura. Dengan mendengarnya, bahkan orang yang bersalah membunuh brāhmaṇa atau membunuh lembu pun terlepas daripada segala dosa.

Word by Word

• सूतः: Sūta
• सूतः: Karta (Speaker/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: सूत (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन; Nominative singular

• उवाच: said
• उवाच: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: वच् (धातु)
• Form: लिट् (Perfect), परस्मैपद, प्रथमपुरुष, एकवचन; ‘said’

• एतत्: this
• एतत्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: एतद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया-विभक्ति, एकवचन; here object ‘this’

• वः: to you (all)
• वः: Sampradana (Recipient/सम्प्रदान)
• Type: Noun
• Root: युष्मद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: षष्ठी/चतुर्थी-विभक्ति, बहुवचन (enclitic); here dative ‘to you’

• कथितम्: has been narrated
• कथितम्: Kriya (Predicative/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: कथित (कृदन्त; कथ् धातु + क्त)
• Form: भूतकर्मणि-प्रत्ययान्त (past passive participle), नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन; ‘has been told’

• विप्राः: O brāhmaṇas
• विप्राः: Sambodhana (Address)
• Type: Noun
• Root: विप्र (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, सम्बोधन-विभक्ति, बहुवचन; Vocative plural

• लोहासुरविचेष्टितम्: the deed/episode of the demon Loha
• लोहासुरविचेष्टितम्: Karma (Appositional object)
• Type: Noun
• Root: लोह-असुर-विचेष्टित (प्रातिपदिक; लोहासुरस्य विचेष्टितम्)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया-विभक्ति, एकवचन; apposition to ‘एतत्’

• यत्: which
• यत्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: यद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति, एकवचन; relative pronoun ‘which’ (object of श्रुत्वा)

• श्रुत्वा: having heard
• श्रुत्वा: Purvakala-kriya (Prior action)
• Type: Verb
• Root: श्रु (धातु)
• Form: क्त्वान्त-अव्यय (gerund/absolutive); ‘having heard’

• ब्रह्महा: a slayer of a brāhmaṇa
• ब्रह्महा: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: ब्रह्म-हन् (प्रातिपदिक; ब्रह्मणः हन्ता)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन; Nominative singular

• गोघ्नः: a cow-killer
• गोघ्नः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: गो-हन् (प्रातिपदिक; गवां हन्ता)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन; Nominative singular (in apposition)

• मुच्यते: is released
• मुच्यते: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: मुच् (धातु)
• Form: लट् (Present), आत्मनेपद, प्रथमपुरुष, एकवचन; कर्मणि-प्रयोग (passive sense) ‘is freed’

• सर्वपातकैः: from all sins
• सर्वपातकैः: Apadana (Separation/अपादान)
• Type: Noun
• Root: सर्व-पातक (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, तृतीया-विभक्ति, बहुवचन; Instrumental plural (ablatival sense with passive)

Speaker

Sūta

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Lohāsura-vicēṣṭita (Lohayaṣṭī context)

Type: kshetra

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: Viprāḥ (assembled brāhmaṇas/ṛṣis)

Visual Art Cues

Scene: Sūta seated in a forest hermitage assembly, addressing attentive brāhmaṇas; the tale of Lohāsura is symbolized behind him as a subdued demon figure dissolving into light, indicating sin-release through hearing.

Characters & Entities

• Sūta
• Vipras (brāhmaṇas)
• Lohāsura
• Brahmahatyā
• Gohatyā

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Reverent listening to tīrtha-māhātmya and Purāṇic narration is itself a purifier with vast atonement power.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

The Lohayaṣṭī/Lohāsura-associated tīrtha complex described in this Dharmāraṇya section.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

Śravaṇa (hearing) of the Lohāsura account is presented as a powerful means of purification.