Skanda Purana — Kashi Khanda, Shloka 91

Devanagari script

स्कंद उवाच । निशम्याख्यानमतुलमेतत्प्राज्ञः प्रयत्नतः । निष्पापो जायते मर्त्यो नोपसर्गैः प्रबाध्यते

Transliteration

skaṃda uvāca | niśamyākhyānamatulametatprājñaḥ prayatnataḥ | niṣpāpo jāyate martyo nopasargaiḥ prabādhyate

Translation

斯堪达言：“智者若以勤恳之心聆听此无比圣传，便得离罪清净；诸般灾厄与凶障，不能胜伏彼凡人。”

Word by Word

• स्कंदः: Skanda
• स्कंदः: Karta (Speaker/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: स्कन्द (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन

• उवाच: said
• उवाच: Kriya (Speech act/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: वच् (धातु)
• Form: लिट् (Perfect), प्रथमपुरुष, एकवचन, परस्मैपद

• निशम्य: having heard
• निशम्य: Kriya (पूर्वक्रिया/Adverbial action)
• Type: Verb
• Root: नि + शम्/शम (धातु)
• Form: क्त्वान्त (absolutive/gerund) from √नि-शम् ‘to hear/listen’, ‘having heard’

• आख्यानम्: narrative/account
• आख्यानम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: आख्यान (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया, एकवचन

• अतुलम्: incomparable
• अतुलम्: Karma (Object-qualifier/कर्मविशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: अतुल (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया, एकवचन; विशेषण of आख्यानम्

• एतत्: this
• एतत्: Karma (Object-qualifier/कर्मविशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: एतद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया, एकवचन; विशेषण of आख्यानम्

• प्राज्ञः: a wise person
• प्राज्ञः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: प्राज्ञ (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन

• प्रयत्नतः: earnestly
• प्रयत्नतः: Kriya (Manner/क्रियाविशेषण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: प्रयत्न (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: तसिल्-प्रत्ययान्त अव्यय (adverbial ablative) — ‘with effort/earnestly’

• निष्पापः: sinless
• निष्पापः: Karta (Subject-complement/कर्तृपूरक)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: निष्पाप (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन; predicate adjective of मर्त्यः

• जायते: becomes/is born
• जायते: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: जन् (धातु)
• Form: लट् (Present), प्रथमपुरुष, एकवचन, आत्मनेपद

• मर्त्यः: a mortal
• मर्त्यः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: मर्त्य (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन

• न: not
• न: Sambandha (Negation/निषेध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: न (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय (negation particle)

• उपसर्गैः: by afflictions/obstacles
• उपसर्गैः: Karana (Instrument/करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: उपसर्ग (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, तृतीया (3rd/करण), बहुवचन

• प्रबाध्यते: is afflicted/tormented
• प्रबाध्यते: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: प्र + बाध् (धातु)
• Form: लट् (Present), प्रथमपुरुष, एकवचन, आत्मनेपद; कर्मणि-प्रयोग (passive sense)

Speaker

Skanda

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Kāśī-kṣetra (via māhātmya-śravaṇa)

Type: kshetra

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: Agastya (and the implied assembly of sages)

Visual Art Cues

Scene: Skanda teaching: the divine narrator proclaims that attentive hearing of the incomparable account makes a mortal sinless and immune to ominous afflictions; listeners sit in reverent stillness.

Characters & Entities

• Skanda

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Śravaṇa (devout listening) to Kāśī’s sacred narrative purifies sin and grants protective spiritual resilience against misfortunes.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

Kāśī (Vārāṇasī) through its māhātmya, whose hearing itself is declared meritorious.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

The implied practice is śravaṇa—hearing the sacred account with attention and effort.