Skanda Purana — Nagara Khanda, Shloka 42

Devanagari script

यो धर्मश्रवणं तस्याः पुरतः कुरुते नरः । स नूनं वसति स्वर्गे तत्प्रभावाद्युगत्रयम्

Transliteration

yo dharmaśravaṇaṃ tasyāḥ purataḥ kurute naraḥ | sa nūnaṃ vasati svarge tatprabhāvādyugatrayam

Translation

جو شخص اُس کے حضور دھرم کا شروَن (دینی تعلیم کا سماع) کرتا ہے، وہ یقیناً اُس اثر سے تین یُگ تک سُوَرگ میں بستا ہے۔

Word by Word

• yaḥ: who
• yaḥ: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: yad (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), एकवचन; सम्बन्धबोधक-यः

• dharma-śravaṇam: hearing of dharma
• dharma-śravaṇam: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: dharma (प्रातिपदिक) + śravaṇa (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd/Accusative), एकवचन; कर्मपद; षष्ठी-तत्पुरुष (धर्मस्य श्रवणम्)

• tasyāḥ: of her
• tasyāḥ: Sambandha (Genitive relation/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: tad (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, षष्ठी (6th/Genitive), एकवचन; सर्वनाम

• purataḥ: in front (of)
• purataḥ: Adhikarana (Locus/अधिकरण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: purataḥ (अव्यय/प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: अव्यय; देशवाचक (adverb: in front)

• kurute: does / performs
• kurute: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: kṛ (धातु)
• Form: लट् (Present), प्रथमपुरुष (3rd person), एकवचन; आत्मनेपद

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

• saḥ: he
• saḥ: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: tad (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), एकवचन; सर्वनाम

• nūnam: surely
• nūnam: Kriya-visheshana (Adverbial/क्रियाविशेषण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: nūnam (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; निश्चयार्थक (particle/adverb: certainly)

• vasati: dwells
• vasati: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: vas (धातु)
• Form: लट् (Present), प्रथमपुरुष (3rd person), एकवचन; परस्मैपद

• svarge: in heaven
• svarge: Adhikarana (Locus/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: svarga (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, सप्तमी (7th/Locative), एकवचन

• tat-prabhāvāt: due to that power/effect
• tat-prabhāvāt: Hetu (Cause/हेतु)
• Type: Noun
• Root: tad (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक) + prabhāva (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, पञ्चमी (5th/Ablative), एकवचन; हेत्वर्थ (cause); षष्ठी-तत्पुरुष (तस्य प्रभावः)

• yuga-trayam: (for) three yugas
• yuga-trayam: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: yuga (प्रातिपदिक) + traya (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd/Accusative), एकवचन; कालपरिमाणवाचक; द्विगु-समास (त्रीणि युगानि)

Speaker

Unspecified in snippet (phalaśruti within Sarasvatī tīrtha māhātmya)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Sarasvatī-sannidhi (at her shrine)

Type: kshetra

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A learned speaker recites dharma-śāstra before Sarasvatī’s image; listeners sit in orderly rows with folded hands; the air is filled with floating syllables; a celestial path to svarga is hinted above.

Characters & Entities

• Sarasvatī

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Listening to dharma in a sanctified, deity-centered setting is elevated as a powerful spiritual act with vast posthumous merit.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

The Sarasvatī tīrtha of Nāgarakhaṇḍa, where dharma-śravaṇa is done ‘in her presence’.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

Dharma-śravaṇa (hearing/attending scriptural teaching) before Sarasvatī at the site.