Skanda Purana — Prabhasa Khanda, Shloka 37

Devanagari script

इति ते कथितं देवि सरस्वत्याः समुद्भवम् । श्रुतं पापहरं नृणां कीर्त्तिदं पुण्यवर्द्धनम्

Transliteration

iti te kathitaṃ devi sarasvatyāḥ samudbhavam | śrutaṃ pāpaharaṃ nṛṇāṃ kīrttidaṃ puṇyavarddhanam

Translation

یوں اے دیوی! میں نے تمہیں سرسوتی کے ظہور کا بیان سنا دیا۔ اسے سننے سے لوگوں کے گناہ دور ہوتے ہیں، شہرت ملتی ہے اور پُنّیہ بڑھتا ہے۔

Word by Word

• iti: thus
• iti: Sambandha (Discourse marker/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: iti (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; वाक्यसमाप्ति/उद्धरणसूचक (quotative particle)

• te: to you
• te: Sampradāna (Recipient/सम्प्रदान)
• Type: Noun
• Root: tvad (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: द्वितीया/चतुर्थी?; here: चतुर्थी (4th/Dative), एकवचन (ते = to you)

• kathitam: told, narrated
• kathitam: Kriyā (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: kathita (कृदन्त; √kath कथ्)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया, एकवचन; भूतकृत्-प्रत्यय (क्त); कर्मणि; used predicatively 'has been told'

• devi: O goddess
• devi: Sambodhana (Address/सम्बोधन)
• Type: Noun
• Root: devī (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, सम्बोधन (Vocative), एकवचन

• sarasvatyāḥ: of Sarasvatī
• sarasvatyāḥ: Sambandha (Genitive relation/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: sarasvatī (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, षष्ठी (6th/Genitive), एकवचन

• samudbhavam: origin, emergence
• samudbhavam: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: samudbhava (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd/Accusative), एकवचन

• śrutam: heard
• śrutam: Kriyā (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: śruta (कृदन्त; √śru श्रु)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया, एकवचन; क्त-प्रत्यय; 'heard' (as a thing heard)

• pāpa-haram: sin-removing
• pāpa-haram: Viśeṣaṇa (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: pāpa (प्रातिपदिक) + hara (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया, एकवचन; षष्ठी-तत्पुरुषः (पापं हरति इति)

• nṛṇām: of men/people
• nṛṇām: Sambandha (Genitive relation/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: nṛ (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, षष्ठी (6th/Genitive), बहुवचन

• kīrtti-dam: fame-giving
• kīrtti-dam: Viśeṣaṇa (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: kīrtti (प्रातिपदिक) + da (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया, एकवचन; उपपद-तत्पुरुषः (कीर्तिं ददाति इति)

• puṇya-varddhanam: merit-increasing
• puṇya-varddhanam: Viśeṣaṇa (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: puṇya (प्रातिपदिक) + varddhana (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया, एकवचन; षष्ठी-तत्पुरुषः (पुण्यं वर्धयति इति)

Speaker

Īśvara (Śiva)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Sarasvatī-prādurbhāva (within Prabhāsa-kṣetra māhātmya)

Type: kshetra

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: Devī (Pārvatī)

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A storyteller-sage recites Sarasvatī’s manifestation to attentive listeners; above them Sarasvatī appears as a blessing presence; symbolic dark smoke of sins dissolves, while a garland of fame and a growing heap of merit (puṇya) is shown allegorically.

Characters & Entities

• Sarasvatī

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Śravaṇa (devotional listening) to sacred narratives is itself a dharmic act that purifies sin and increases puṇya.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

Prabhāsakṣetra, where Māhātmya-hearing is presented as spiritually efficacious.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

Listening/hearing (śravaṇa) of the Māhātmya is recommended as a purificatory practice.