Skanda Purana — Kashi Khanda, Shloka 30

Devanagari script

स्कंद उवाच । नर्मदेशस्य माहात्म्यं श्रुत्वा भक्तियुतो नरः । पापकंचुकमुत्सृज्य प्राप्स्यति ज्ञानमुत्तमम्

Transliteration

skaṃda uvāca | narmadeśasya māhātmyaṃ śrutvā bhaktiyuto naraḥ | pāpakaṃcukamutsṛjya prāpsyati jñānamuttamam

Translation

สกันทะตรัสว่า: บุรุษผู้ประกอบด้วยภักติ เมื่อสดับมหิมาแห่งนรมเทศ ย่อมสลัดคราบแห่งบาป แล้วจักบรรลุญาณอันสูงสุด

Word by Word

• स्कन्दः: Skanda
• स्कन्दः: Karta (कर्ता/Subject)
• Type: Noun
• Root: स्कन्द (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन

• उवाच: said
• उवाच: Kriya (क्रिया/Verb)
• Type: Verb
• Root: √वच् (धातु)
• Form: लिट्-लकार (Perfect), प्रथमपुरुष, एकवचन; परस्मैपद

• नर्मदेशस्य: of the Narmadā region
• नर्मदेशस्य: Sambandha (सम्बन्ध/Genitive)
• Type: Noun
• Root: नर्मदेश (प्रातिपदिक; नर्मदा + देश)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, षष्ठी-विभक्ति, एकवचन; ‘नर्मदायाः देशः’ इति षष्ठी-तत्पुरुष

• माहात्म्यम्: greatness, sacred glory
• माहात्म्यम्: Karma (कर्म/Object)
• Type: Noun
• Root: माहात्म्य (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति, एकवचन

• श्रुत्वा: having heard
• श्रुत्वा: Kriya-viśeṣaṇa (क्रियाविशेषण)
• Type: Verb
• Root: √श्रु (धातु)
• Form: क्त्वान्त (absolutive), अव्ययभाव

• भक्तियुतः: endowed with devotion
• भक्तियुतः: Karta-viśeṣaṇa (कर्तृविशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: भक्ति + युत (प्रातिपदिक; √युज् (धातु) + क्त)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन; ‘भक्त्या युतः’ इति तृतीया-तत्पुरुष

• नरः: a man, person
• नरः: Karta (कर्ता/Subject)
• Type: Noun
• Root: नर (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन

• पापकञ्चुकम्: cloak/covering of sin
• पापकञ्चुकम्: Karma (कर्म/Object)
• Type: Noun
• Root: पाप + कञ्चुक (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति, एकवचन; ‘पापस्य कञ्चुकम्’ इति षष्ठी-तत्पुरुष

• उत्सृज्य: having abandoned
• उत्सृज्य: Kriya-viśeṣaṇa (क्रियाविशेषण)
• Type: Verb
• Root: √सृज् (धातु) + उत्- (उपसर्ग)
• Form: क्त्वान्त (absolutive), अव्ययभाव; ‘having cast off’

• प्राप्स्यति: will attain
• प्राप्स्यति: Kriya (क्रिया/Verb)
• Type: Verb
• Root: √आप् (धातु) + प्र- (उपसर्ग)
• Form: लृट्-लकार (Simple Future), प्रथमपुरुष, एकवचन; परस्मैपद

• ज्ञानम्: knowledge
• ज्ञानम्: Karma (कर्म/Object)
• Type: Noun
• Root: ज्ञान (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति, एकवचन

• उत्तमम्: supreme, excellent
• उत्तमम्: Karma-viśeṣaṇa (कर्मविशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: उत्तम (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति, एकवचन; ज्ञान-विशेषण

Speaker

Skanda

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Narmadeśa

Type: kshetra

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: Agastya (implied frame of adjacent verses/chapters)

Visual Art Cues

Scene: Skanda as divine teacher addressing Agastya/assembled sages, declaring that devoted hearing of Narmadeśa’s greatness strips away the ‘cloak of sin’ and grants highest knowledge; a symbolic garment falling away as light rises from the heart.

Characters & Entities

• Skanda
• Narmadeśa

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Devotional listening to tīrtha-mahātmya purifies the soul, removes sin, and matures into liberating spiritual knowledge.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

Narmadeśa—the sacred region associated with the river Narmadā and its tīrthas.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

Śravaṇa (hearing) of the māhātmya with bhakti is the stated practice; no separate dāna/snānā/japa is specified in this verse.