Skanda Purana — Avanti Khanda, Shloka 17

Devanagari script

श्रुत्वा वापि पठित्वेदं श्रावयिपत्वाथ धार्मिकान् । मुच्यते सर्वपापेभ्यो नात्र कार्या विचारणा

Transliteration

śrutvā vāpi paṭhitvedaṃ śrāvayipatvātha dhārmikān | mucyate sarvapāpebhyo nātra kāryā vicāraṇā

Translation

بمجرد سماع هذا، أو قراءته، ثم إيصاله إلى سماع الصالحين، يتحرّر المرء من جميع الآثام؛ ولا حاجة هنا إلى شكّ أو تردّد.

Word by Word

• श्रुत्वा: having heard
• श्रुत्वा: Purvakala (Prior action/पूर्वकाल)
• Type: Verb
• Root: श्रु (धातु)
• Form: कृदन्त (क्त्वा/absolutive), अव्ययभाव — ‘having heard’

• वा: or
• वा: Sambandha (Connector/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: वा (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय (विकल्प/particle of alternative)

• अपि: also/even
• अपि: Sambandha (Discourse particle/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: अपि (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय (निपात/particle) — ‘also/even’

• पठित्वा: having read
• पठित्वा: Purvakala (Prior action/पूर्वकाल)
• Type: Verb
• Root: पठ् (धातु)
• Form: कृदन्त (क्त्वा/absolutive), अव्ययभाव — ‘having read’

• इदम्: this (text/teaching)
• इदम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: इदं (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd/द्वितीया), एकवचन — accusative singular

• श्रावयित्वा: having recited/made (others) hear
• श्रावयित्वा: Purvakala (Prior action/पूर्वकाल)
• Type: Verb
• Root: श्रु (धातु) [णिच् causative: श्रावयति]
• Form: कृदन्त (क्त्वा/absolutive) causative — ‘having caused to hear/recited’

• अथ: then/thereupon
• अथ: Sambandha (Connector/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: अथ (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय (अनन्तर/sequence particle)

• धार्मिकान्: the righteous people
• धार्मिकान्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: धार्मिक (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया, बहुवचन — accusative plural

• मुच्यते: is freed/is released
• मुच्यते: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: मुच् (धातु)
• Form: लट् (वर्तमानकाल), प्रथमपुरुष, एकवचन; कर्मणि प्रयोग (passive)

• सर्व-पापेभ्यः: from all sins
• सर्व-पापेभ्यः: Apadana (Source/Ablation/अपादान)
• Type: Noun
• Root: सर्व (प्रातिपदिक) + पाप (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, पञ्चमी (5th/पञ्चमी), बहुवचन — ablative plural; कर्मधारय (सर्वाणि पापानि)

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

• अत्र: here/in this matter
• अत्र: Adhikarana (Locative sense/अधिकरण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: अत्र (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय (देशवाचक adverb)

• कार्या: to be done/necessary
• कार्या: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: कार्य (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन — predicate adjective agreeing with विचारणा

• विचारणा: consideration/deliberation
• विचारणा: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: विचारणा (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन — nominative singular

Speaker

Mārkaṇḍeya (deduced from immediate context continuing into 144.1)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Revā-tīrtha māhātmya (textual)

Type: kshetra

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: Nṛpa (king) and, by extension, future audiences

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A recitation assembly: a reader chants from a manuscript; righteous listeners sit attentively; the king sponsors the event; a subtle visual motif of sins dissolving (darkness lifting) underscores ‘mucyate sarvapāpebhyaḥ’.

Characters & Entities

• dhārmika
• pāpa
• śravaṇa
• pāṭha

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Śravaṇa (hearing) and pāṭha (reading/recitation) of tīrtha-māhātmya is itself a strong purifier.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

The tīrtha praised in Adhyāya 143 of Revā Khaṇḍa; the verse functions as a phalaśruti for that praise.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

Hear it, read it, and recite it to the dhārmikas (righteous listeners).