Skanda Purana — Nagara Khanda, Shloka 72

Devanagari script

एतद्वः सर्वमाख्यातं महाकालसमुद्भवम् । माहात्म्यं ब्राह्मण श्रेष्ठाः सर्वपातकनाशनम्

Transliteration

etadvaḥ sarvamākhyātaṃ mahākālasamudbhavam | māhātmyaṃ brāhmaṇa śreṣṭhāḥ sarvapātakanāśanam

Translation

ହେ ବ୍ରାହ୍ମଣଶ୍ରେଷ୍ଠମାନେ! ମହାକାଳସମୁଦ୍ଭବ ଏହି ମାହାତ୍ମ୍ୟକୁ ମୁଁ ତୁମମାନଙ୍କୁ ସମ୍ପୂର୍ଣ୍ଣ ଭାବେ କହିଦେଲି; ଏହା ସର୍ବପାପନାଶକ।

Word by Word

• एतत्: this (matter)
• एतत्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: एतद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया (1/2), एकवचन; सर्वनाम

• वः: of you / to you
• वः: Sampradana (Recipient/सम्प्रदान)
• Type: Noun
• Root: युष्मद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: षष्ठी/चतुर्थी (6/4), बहुवचन; सर्वनाम (enclitic)

• सर्वम्: all, entire
• सर्वम्: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: सर्व (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया (1/2), एकवचन; विशेषण

• आख्यातम्: has been told/declared
• आख्यातम्: Kriya (Predicate/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: आ-ख्या (धातु) + क्त (कृदन्त-प्रत्यय)
• Form: भूतकर्मणि कृदन्त (क्त), नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया (1/2), एकवचन; कर्मणि/भावे प्रयोगः (predicative)

• महाकालसमुद्भवम्: arisen from Mahākāla
• महाकालसमुद्भवम्: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: महाकाल (प्रातिपदिक) + समुद्भव (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया (1/2), एकवचन; षष्ठी-तत्पुरुषः (महाकालस्य समुद्भवः)

• माहात्म्यम्: the greatness, sacred glory
• माहात्म्यम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: माहात्म्य (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया (1/2), एकवचन

• ब्राह्मण: O brāhmaṇa
• ब्राह्मण: Sambodhana (Address/सम्बोधन)
• Type: Noun
• Root: ब्राह्मण (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, सम्बोधन (8), एकवचन

• श्रेष्ठाः: O best ones
• श्रेष्ठाः: Sambodhana (Address/सम्बोधन)
• Type: Noun
• Root: श्रेष्ठ (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, सम्बोधन/प्रथमा (8/1), बहुवचन; (सम्बोधनार्थे)

• सर्वपातकनाशनम्: destroyer of all sins
• सर्वपातकनाशनम्: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: सर्व (प्रातिपदिक) + पातक (प्रातिपदिक) + नाशन (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया (1/2), एकवचन; षष्ठी-तत्पुरुषः (सर्वेषां पातकानां नाशनम्)

Speaker

Sūta

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Mahākāla-sambhava (as designated by the verse)

Type: kshetra

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: brāhmaṇas (addressed as ‘brāhmaṇa-śreṣṭhāḥ’)

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A sage-narrator concludes a sacred account before an assembly of brāhmaṇas; the atmosphere is calm and reverent, with subtle iconographic suggestion of Mahākāla’s presence (trident, crescent, ash).

Characters & Entities

• Mahākāla
• Sūta

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Hearing and preserving tīrtha-māhātmya centered on Mahākāla is itself presented as purifying and sin-destroying.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

Mahākāla’s kṣetra/tīrtha (commonly identified with Ujjain’s Mahākāleśvara tradition).

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

Implicitly, śravaṇa/paṭhana (hearing/reciting) of the Mahākāla māhātmya as a purificatory act; no additional rite is specified in this verse.