Skanda Purana — Avanti Khanda, Shloka 1

Devanagari script

श्रीमार्कण्डेय उवाच । पुनरन्यत्प्रवक्ष्यामि देवस्य चरितं महत् । श्रुतमात्रेण येनैव सर्वपापैः प्रमुच्यते

Transliteration

śrīmārkaṇḍeya uvāca | punaranyatpravakṣyāmi devasya caritaṃ mahat | śrutamātreṇa yenaiva sarvapāpaiḥ pramucyate

Translation

Śrī Mārkaṇḍeya sprach: Erneut will ich eine weitere große Tat des Herrn verkünden; schon durch bloßes Hören davon wird man von allen Sünden befreit.

Word by Word

• श्री-मार्कण्डेयः: the venerable Mārkaṇḍeya
• श्री-मार्कण्डेयः: Karta (Speaker/Subject)
• Type: Noun
• Root: श्री (प्रातिपदिक) + मार्कण्डेय (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: कर्मधारयसमास (श्रीमान् मार्कण्डेयः); पुंलिङ्ग; प्रथमा एकवचन

• उवाच: said
• उवाच: Kriyā (Speech act)
• Type: Verb
• Root: वच् (धातु)
• Form: लिट् (परोक्शभूत/Perfect); प्रथमपुरुष; एकवचन; परस्मैपदम्

• पुनः: again
• पुनः: Kriyāviśeṣaṇa (Adverbial)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: पुनः (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; पुनरावृत्तिवाचक (again)

• अन्यत्: another (thing)
• अन्यत्: Karman (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: अन्य (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग; द्वितीया (2nd/Accusative); एकवचन; प्रवक्ष्यामि इत्यस्य कर्म

• प्रवक्ष्यामि: I shall narrate
• प्रवक्ष्यामि: Kriyā (Action)
• Type: Verb
• Root: प्र-वच् (धातु)
• Form: लृट् (भविष्यत्/Future); उत्तमपुरुष; एकवचन; परस्मैपदम्

• देवस्य: of the god
• देवस्य: Sambandha (Genitive relation)
• Type: Noun
• Root: देव (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग; षष्ठी (6th/Genitive); एकवचन

• चरितम्: deed, story, conduct
• चरितम्: Karman (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: चरित (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग; द्वितीया (2nd/Accusative); एकवचन; प्रवक्ष्यामि इत्यस्य कर्म

• महत्: great
• महत्: Karman (Object attribute)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: महत् (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग; द्वितीया एकवचन; चरितम् इत्यस्य विशेषणम्

• श्रुत-मात्रेण: by mere hearing
• श्रुत-मात्रेण: Karaṇa (Instrument/Means)
• Type: Noun
• Root: श्रुत (प्रातिपदिक) + मात्र (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: तत्पुरुषसमास (श्रवणस्य मात्रया/केवलश्रवणेन); नपुंसकलिङ्ग; तृतीया (3rd/Instrumental); एकवचन

• येन: by which
• येन: Karaṇa (Instrument/Means)
• Type: Noun
• Root: यद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग; तृतीया (3rd/Instrumental); एकवचन; सम्बन्धे (by which)

• एव: indeed, just
• एव: Sambandha (Emphasis)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: एव (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; अवधारण (only/indeed)

• सर्व-पापैः: from all sins
• सर्व-पापैः: Apādāna (Ablative sense via instrumental)
• Type: Noun
• Root: सर्व (प्रातिपदिक) + पाप (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: कर्मधारयसमास (“all sins”); नपुंसकलिङ्ग; तृतीया (3rd/Instrumental); बहुवचन; वियोगार्थे (freed from)

• प्रमुच्यते: is freed, is released
• प्रमुच्यते: Kriyā (Action)
• Type: Verb
• Root: प्र-मुच् (धातु)
• Form: लट् (वर्तमान/Present); प्रथमपुरुष; एकवचन; आत्मनेपदम्; कर्मणि/मध्यस्थभाव (is freed)

Speaker

Mārkaṇḍeya

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: King (unnamed here; addressed as rājan in nearby verses)

Visual Art Cues

Scene: Sage Mārkaṇḍeya, serene and radiant, addresses the king and promises another great episode of the Lord whose hearing alone destroys sins.

Characters & Entities

• Mārkaṇḍeya
• Śiva (Deva)

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Śravaṇa (devout listening) to sacred narratives is itself purifying and can destroy sin when received with faith.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

The Revā (Narmadā) sacred region broadly, as the setting for the Lord’s ‘great deeds’ that confer merit.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

Śrutamātra (hearing alone) is presented as an efficacious devotional discipline.