Skanda Purana — Prabhasa Khanda, Shloka 80

Devanagari script

यः पठेद्रामचरितं भारतं व्यासभाषितम् । पुराणानि महीपाल प्राप्तो मुक्तिं न संशयः

Transliteration

yaḥ paṭhedrāmacaritaṃ bhārataṃ vyāsabhāṣitam | purāṇāni mahīpāla prāpto muktiṃ na saṃśayaḥ

Translation

大地之王啊，凡诵读《罗摩行传》（Rāma-carita）、由毗耶娑（Vyāsa）宣说的《婆罗多》（Bhārata），以及诸《往世书》（Purāṇa）者，必得解脱（mokṣa），毫无疑虑。

Word by Word

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

• paṭhet: should read / reads (habitually)
• paṭhet: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: paṭh (धातु)
• Form: विधिलिङ् (Optative), परस्मैपद, प्रथमपुरुष (3rd person), एकवचन (Singular)

• rāma-caritam: the deeds/story of Rāma
• rāma-caritam: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: rāma (प्रातिपदिक) + carita (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति (Accusative/2nd), एकवचन (Singular); षष्ठी-तत्पुरुष: ‘रामस्य चरितम्’

• bhāratam: the Bhārata (Mahābhārata)
• bhāratam: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: bhārata (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति (Accusative/2nd), एकवचन (Singular)

• vyāsa-bhāṣitam: spoken/composed by Vyāsa
• vyāsa-bhāṣitam: Visheshana (Qualifier of bhāratam)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: vyāsa (प्रातिपदिक) + bhāṣita (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति (Accusative/2nd), एकवचन (Singular); षष्ठी-तत्पुरुष: ‘व्यासेन भाषितम्/व्यासस्य भाषितम्’ (spoken/composed by Vyāsa)

• purāṇāni: the Purāṇas
• purāṇāni: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: purāṇa (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति (Accusative/2nd), बहुवचन (Plural)

• mahī-pāla: O king
• mahī-pāla: Sambodhana (Address)
• Type: Noun
• Root: mahī (प्रातिपदिक) + pāla (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, सम्बोधन-विभक्ति (Vocative), एकवचन (Singular); षष्ठी-तत्पुरुष: ‘महीपालः’ (protector of earth)

• prāptaḥ: has attained
• prāptaḥ: Karta (Subject complement)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: āp (धातु) + pra + kta (कृत् प्रत्यय)
• Form: भूतकर्मणि कृदन्त (past passive participle), पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति (Nominative/1st), एकवचन (Singular)

• muktim: liberation
• muktim: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: mukti (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति (Accusative/2nd), एकवचन (Singular)

• na: no / not
• na: Pratiṣedha (Negation)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: na (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; निषेध (negation particle)

• saṃśayaḥ: doubt
• saṃśayaḥ: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: saṃśaya (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति (Nominative/1st), एकवचन (Singular)

Speaker

Sūta (deduced: address to a king within Māhātmya narration)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Dvārakā (Dvāravatī)

Type: kshetra

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: A king (māhīpāla/bhūpati addressed)

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A king listens reverently as a sage extols the liberating power of reciting Rāmacarita, Vyāsa’s Bhārata, and the Purāṇas; palm-leaf manuscripts, a lamp, and a temple silhouette of Dvārakā in the background.

Characters & Entities

• Rāma
• Mahābhārata
• Vyāsa
• Purāṇas

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Regular recitation of Itihāsa and Purāṇa literature is upheld as a complete path leading to liberation.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

Dvārakā (by section context), where such sacred reading is especially commended.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

Pāṭha (recitation) of Rāma-carita, Vyāsa’s Mahābhārata, and the Purāṇas.