Skanda Purana — Avanti Khanda, Shloka 29

Devanagari script

मार्कण्डेश्वरवृक्षान्यो दूरस्थानपि पश्यति । ब्रह्महत्यादिपापेभ्यो मुच्यते शङ्करोऽब्रवीत्

Transliteration

mārkaṇḍeśvaravṛkṣānyo dūrasthānapi paśyati | brahmahatyādipāpebhyo mucyate śaṅkaro'bravīt

Translation

Durch die Gnade des Mārkaṇḍeśvara-Baumes erblickt man selbst Fernes; und man wird von Sünden befreit, beginnend mit brahma-hatyā (der Tötung eines Brahmanen) — so verkündete Śaṅkara.

Word by Word

• मार्कण्डेश्वरवृक्ष: the Mārkaṇḍeśvara tree
• मार्कण्डेश्वरवृक्ष: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: मार्कण्डेश्वर (प्रातिपदिक) + वृक्ष (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), एकवचन; षष्ठी-तत्पुरुषः (मार्कण्डेश्वरस्य वृक्षः)

• अन्यः: another (person)
• अन्यः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: अन्य (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), एकवचन; विशेषणम्

• दूरस्थान्: those who are far away
• दूरस्थान्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: दूरस्थ (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd/Accusative), बहुवचन; कर्मपदम्

• अपि: even/also
• अपि: Sambandha (Particle/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: अपि (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; निपात (particle)

• पश्यति: sees
• पश्यति: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: दृश् (धातु)
• Form: लट्-लकार (Present), प्रथमपुरुष (3rd person), एकवचन; परस्मैपदम्

• ब्रह्महत्यादिपापेभ्यः: from sins such as brahmahatyā
• ब्रह्महत्यादिपापेभ्यः: Apadana (Source/अपादान)
• Type: Noun
• Root: ब्रह्महत्या (प्रातिपदिक) + आदि (प्रातिपदिक) + पाप (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, पञ्चमी (5th/Ablative), बहुवचन; (ब्रह्महत्या-आदि)-तत्पुरुषः + पाप-समासः; अपादानकारक-निर्देशः

• मुच्यते: is freed
• मुच्यते: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: मुच् (धातु)
• Form: लट्-लकार (Present), प्रथमपुरुष (3rd person), एकवचन; आत्मनेपदम्; कर्मणि प्रयोग (passive)

• शङ्करः: Śaṅkara (Śiva)
• शङ्करः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: शङ्कर (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), एकवचन

• अब्रवीत्: said
• अब्रवीत्: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: ब्रू (धातु)
• Form: लुङ्-लकार (Aorist/Past), प्रथमपुरुष (3rd person), एकवचन; परस्मैपदम्

Speaker

Śaṅkara (Śiva) (explicit: ‘śaṅkaro ’bravīt’)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Mārkaṇḍeśvara-vṛkṣa (as tīrtha-aṅga within Revā-kṣetra)

Type: kshetra

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: A king (addressed as nṛpa-sattama in adjacent verses)

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A venerable sacred tree identified as Mārkaṇḍeśvara-vṛkṣa on a riverbank; devotees gaze outward as if seeing distant scenes; Śaṅkara’s presence is implied as the authoritative speaker of the boon.

Characters & Entities

• Mārkaṇḍeśvara
• Śaṅkara
• Brahmahatyā

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Association with a sanctified Śaiva spot (here, Mārkaṇḍeśvara) is portrayed as granting both extraordinary grace and profound purification.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

Mārkaṇḍeśvara—specifically the sanctity connected with its sacred tree.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

No explicit rite is stated in this line; it is a declaration of the site’s power and sin-destroying merit.