Shloka 20
Āraṇyaka Parva, Adhyāya 233 — Pandavas Mobilize; Arjuna’s Conciliation and the Onset of Combat
स्कन्दस्य य इदं विप्र: पठेज्जन्म समाहित: । श्रावयेद् बाह्मणेभ्यो य: शृणुयाद् वा द्विजेरितम्,जो ब्राह्मण एकाग्रचित्त हो स्कन्ददेवके इस जन्म-वृत्तान्तको पढ़ता है, ब्राह्मणोंको सुनाता है अथवा स्वयं ब्राह्मणके मुखसे सुनता है, वह धन, आयु, उज्ज्वल यश, पुत्र, शत्रुविजय तथा तुष्टि-पुष्टि पाकर अन्तमें स्कन्दके लोकमें जाता है
skandasya yad idaṁ vipraḥ paṭhej janma samāhitaḥ | śrāvayed brāhmaṇebhyo yaḥ śṛṇuyād vā dvijeritām ||
Mārkaṇḍeya said: “O brāhmaṇa, whoever, with a collected mind, recites this account of Skanda’s birth—whoever causes it to be heard by brāhmaṇas, or himself listens to it as recited by a twice-born—he attains wealth, long life, radiant fame, sons, victory over enemies, and inner contentment and nourishment; and in the end he goes to the world of Skanda.”
मार्कण्डेय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse teaches the religious efficacy of disciplined engagement with sacred narrative: reciting, facilitating recitation, or reverently listening—especially from a qualified dvija—yields both worldly well-being (prosperity, longevity, fame, offspring, victory) and a spiritual culmination (attaining Skanda’s realm). It emphasizes focused mind (samāhita) and the merit of śravaṇa/paṭhana.
At the close of the Skanda birth-account within Mārkaṇḍeya’s discourse, a phalaśruti is given: a formal statement of the fruits obtained by those who recite or hear the story. It functions as a concluding benediction and an incentive to preserve and transmit the narrative through recitation and listening.