Skanda Purana — Avanti Khanda, Shloka 46

Devanagari script

सर्वपापहरः पुण्यः श्रुतमात्रो नरोत्तम । धन्यः पापहरो नित्यमित्येवं शङ्करोऽब्रवीत्

Transliteration

sarvapāpaharaḥ puṇyaḥ śrutamātro narottama | dhanyaḥ pāpaharo nityamityevaṃ śaṅkaro'bravīt

Translation

«C’est saint et cela efface tous les péchés, ô meilleur des hommes, ne fût-ce qu’en l’entendant. Vraiment béni, car cela détruit sans cesse le péché» : ainsi parla Śaṅkara (Śiva).

Word by Word

• सर्वपापहरः: remover of all sins
• सर्वपापहरः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: सर्व + पाप + हर (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति (Nominative/1st), एकवचन; तत्पुरुष-समासः (सर्वेषां पापानां हरः)

• पुण्यः: holy; meritorious
• पुण्यः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: पुण्य (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन

• श्रुतमात्रः: (effective) merely by being heard
• श्रुतमात्रः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: श्रुत + मात्र (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन; तत्पुरुष-समासः (श्रुतं मात्रं यस्य/श्रुतमात्रेण)

• नरोत्तम: O best of men
• नरोत्तम: Sambodhana (Address/सम्बोधन)
• Type: Noun
• Root: नर + उत्तम (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, सम्बोधन-विभक्ति (Vocative/8th), एकवचन; कर्मधारय-समासः (उत्तमो नरः)

• धन्यः: blessed; fortunate
• धन्यः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: धन्य (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन

• पापहरः: sin-destroying
• पापहरः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: पाप + हर (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन; तत्पुरुष-समासः (पापस्य हरः)

• नित्यम्: always
• नित्यम्: Kriya-vishesana (Adverbial/क्रियाविशेषण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: नित्य (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: अव्यय; क्रियाविशेषण (adverb)

• इति: thus
• इति: Sambandha (Quotation marker/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: इति (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; उद्धरण/समाप्तिसूचक (quotative particle)

• एवम्: in this way
• एवम्: Kriya-vishesana (Adverbial/क्रियाविशेषण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: एवम् (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; प्रकारवाचक (manner adverb)

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

• अब्रवीत्: said; spoke
• अब्रवीत्: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: ब्रू (धातु)
• Form: लङ्-लकार (Imperfect/past), प्रथम-पुरुष (3rd person), एकवचन; परस्मैपद

Speaker

Mārkaṇḍeya (narrating), quoting Śaṅkara (Śiva) as the original speaker

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Revā (Narmadā) Māhātmya locus

Type: river

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: Yudhiṣṭhira (and/or the inquiring king addressed as nara-uttama)

Visual Art Cues

Scene: Śiva (Śaṅkara) speaks a boon-like proclamation: the sacred account is ‘all-sin-destroying’ even by mere hearing; a reverent audience listens in a forest-āśrama setting.

Characters & Entities

• Śaṅkara (Śiva)
• Agni-tīrtha (contextual)

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

In Purāṇic dharma, even śravaṇa (devout hearing) of a tīrtha’s māhātmya can purify; divine testimony (Śiva’s words) seals its authority.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

The tīrtha being praised in the adhyāya—Agni-tīrtha in the Revā Khaṇḍa.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

Śravaṇa: hearing the māhātmya itself is presented as a purifying practice.