Skanda Purana — Prabhasa Khanda, Shloka 97

Devanagari script

मार्कंडेय उवाच । शृणु राजन्प्रवक्ष्यामि कथां पापप्रणाशिनीम् । यां श्रुत्वा मुच्यते नूनं दुःखसंसार बंधनात्

Transliteration

mārkaṃḍeya uvāca | śṛṇu rājanpravakṣyāmi kathāṃ pāpapraṇāśinīm | yāṃ śrutvā mucyate nūnaṃ duḥkhasaṃsāra baṃdhanāt

Translation

Mārkaṇḍeya sprach: Höre, o König; ich werde dir eine Sünden vernichtende Erzählung verkünden—wer sie vernimmt, wird gewiss von den Fesseln des leidvollen Saṃsāra befreit.

Word by Word

• मार्कण्डेयः: Markandeya
• मार्कण्डेयः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: मार्कण्डेय (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st), एकवचन

• उवाच: said
• उवाच: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: √वच् (धातु)
• Form: लिट्-लकार (Perfect), परस्मैपद, प्रथमपुरुष (3rd), एकवचन

• शृणु: listen
• शृणु: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: √श्रु (धातु)
• Form: लोट्-लकार (Imperative), परस्मैपद, मध्यमपुरुष (2nd), एकवचन

• राजन्: O king
• राजन्: Sambodhana (Address/सम्बोधन)
• Type: Noun
• Root: राजन् (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, सम्बोधन (8th), एकवचन

• प्रवक्ष्यामि: I shall narrate
• प्रवक्ष्यामि: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: प्र√वच् (धातु)
• Form: लृट्-लकार (Simple Future), परस्मैपद, उत्तमपुरुष (1st), एकवचन

• कथाम्: story
• कथाम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: कथा (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd), एकवचन

• पाप: sin
• पाप: Sambandha (Genitive-relation in compound/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: पाप (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रातिपदिक (समासाङ्ग)

• प्रणाशिनीम्: sin-destroying
• प्रणाशिनीम्: Viśeṣaṇa (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: प्र√नश् (धातु) → प्रणाशिन् (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd), एकवचन; समास: पाप-प्रणाशिनीम् (तत्पुरुषः—‘पापस्य प्रणाशिनी’ = destroyer of sins)

• याम्: which
• याम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: यद् (सर्वनाम)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd), एकवचन; सम्बन्धवाचक सर्वनाम

• श्रुत्वा: having heard
• श्रुत्वा: Kriya-viśeṣaṇa (Adverbial/क्रियाविशेषण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: √श्रु (धातु) → श्रुत्वा (क्त्वान्त)
• Form: क्त्वा-प्रत्ययान्त अव्ययीभावरूप कृदन्त (gerund/absolutive) — “having heard”

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

• नूनम्: surely
• नूनम्: Sambandha (Particle/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: नूनम् (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय (निश्चयार्थक) — “certainly”

• दुःख: sorrow
• दुःख: Sambandha (Genitive-relation in compound/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: दुःख (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रातिपदिक (समासाङ्ग)

• संसार: cycle of worldly existence
• संसार: Sambandha (Genitive-relation in compound/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: संसार (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रातिपदिक (समासाङ्ग); समास: दुःख-संसार (तत्पुरुषः—‘दुःखमयः संसारः’/‘दुःखस्य संसारः’)

• बन्धनात्: from bondage
• बन्धनात्: Apādāna (Source/अपादान)
• Type: Noun
• Root: बन्धन (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, पञ्चमी (5th), एकवचन; अपादानवाचक

Speaker

Mārkaṇḍeya

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: Rājā (king; unspecified)

Visual Art Cues

Scene: Sage Mārkaṇḍeya seated in a forest āśrama, speaking to a king; disciples listen; the atmosphere is calm, with a sense of impending revelation that destroys sin.

Characters & Entities

• Mārkaṇḍeya
• Rājā (listener)
• Saṃsāra
• Pāpa

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Śravaṇa (devout listening) to purāṇic kathā is presented as a powerful discipline that breaks bondage to saṃsāra.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

The verse introduces a liberating narrative within Dvārakā Māhātmya; the broader setting remains Dvārakā and its sacred sphere.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

Kathā-śravaṇa—listening to the sacred account with faith—is the stated practice.