Skanda Purana — Prabhasa Khanda, Shloka 6

Devanagari script

ईश्वर उवाच । शृणु देवि महापुण्यां कथां पापप्रणाशनीम् । यां श्रुत्वा मुच्यते पापान्नरो जन्मशतार्जितात्

Transliteration

īśvara uvāca | śṛṇu devi mahāpuṇyāṃ kathāṃ pāpapraṇāśanīm | yāṃ śrutvā mucyate pāpānnaro janmaśatārjitāt

Translation

Īśvara disse: “Ouve, ó Deusa, esta narrativa de grande mérito, destruidora do pecado; ao ouvi-la, o homem se liberta dos pecados acumulados ao longo de cem nascimentos.”

Word by Word

• ईश्वरः: Īśvara (Lord)
• ईश्वरः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: īśvara (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), एकवचन

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

• शृणु: listen
• शृणु: Kriya (Command/आज्ञा)
• Type: Verb
• Root: √śru (धातु)
• Form: लोट् (Imperative), मध्यमपुरुष (2nd), एकवचन; परस्मैपद

• देवि: O Goddess
• देवि: Sambodhana (Address/सम्बोधन)
• Type: Noun
• Root: devī (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, सम्बोधन (8th/Vocative), एकवचन

• महापुण्याम्: highly meritorious
• महापुण्याम्: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: mahā + puṇya (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd/Accusative), एकवचन; कर्मधारय (mahā-puṇyā = “very meritorious”) कथाम् इत्यस्य विशेषणम्

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

• पापप्रणाशनीम्: sin-destroying
• पापप्रणाशनीम्: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: pāpa + praṇāśinī (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd/Accusative), एकवचन; तत्पुरुष (pāpa-praṇāśinī = “destroyer of sins”) कथाम् इत्यस्य विशेषणम्

• याम्: which
• याम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: yad (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd/Accusative), एकवचन; सम्बन्ध-सर्वनाम (relative pronoun)

• श्रुत्वा: having heard
• श्रुत्वा: Kriya (Gerundial action/पूर्वक्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: √śru (धातु)
• Form: क्त्वान्त-अव्ययकृदन्त (absolutive/gerund), “having heard”

• मुच्यते: is freed
• मुच्यते: Kriya (Predicate/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: √muc (धातु)
• Form: लट् (Present), प्रथमपुरुष (3rd), एकवचन; आत्मनेपद, कर्मणि-प्रयोग (passive: “is freed”)

• पापात्: from sins
• पापात्: Apadana (Source/अपादान)
• Type: Noun
• Root: pāpa (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, पञ्चमी (5th/Ablative), बहुवचन (पापेभ्यः इत्यर्थे छान्दस/पाठभेदसम्भव); ‘from sins’

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

• जन्मशतार्जितात्: (sins) accumulated over a hundred births
• जन्मशतार्जितात्: Apadana (Source/अपादान)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: janma + śata + ārjita (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग/पुंलिङ्ग (पाप-शब्दस्य अपेक्षया), पञ्चमी (5th/Ablative), एकवचन; तत्पुरुष (janma-śata-ārjita = “acquired over a hundred births”)

Speaker

Īśvara (Śiva)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Prabhāsa Kṣetra (kathā)

Type: kshetra

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: Devī (Pārvatī)

Visual Art Cues

Scene: Īśvara begins a sacred narration to Devī, declaring it ‘mahāpuṇyā’ and ‘pāpa-praṇāśinī’; the atmosphere is that of a formal kathā opening with promise of karmic cleansing.

Characters & Entities

• Īśvara (Śiva)
• Devī (Pārvatī)

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Śravaṇa of sacred narrative is a direct purificatory practice, capable of dissolving long-accumulated karmic burden.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

The forthcoming Kuṇḍala/Kuṇḍalasaṃbhava tīrtha narrative within Prabhāsa Kṣetra.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

Listening (śravaṇa) to the kathā as a purifying religious act.