Skanda Purana — Avanti Khanda, Shloka 7
श्रीमार्कण्डेय उवाच । यथायथा त्वं नृप भाषसे च तथातथा मे सुखमेति भारती । शैथिल्यता वा जरयान्वितस्य त्वत्सौहृदं नश्यति नैव तात । शृणुष्व तस्मात्सह बान्धवैश्च कथामिमां पापहरां प्रशस्ताम्
śrīmārkaṇḍeya uvāca | yathāyathā tvaṃ nṛpa bhāṣase ca tathātathā me sukhameti bhāratī | śaithilyatā vā jarayānvitasya tvatsauhṛdaṃ naśyati naiva tāta | śṛṇuṣva tasmātsaha bāndhavaiśca kathāmimāṃ pāpaharāṃ praśastām
Śrī Mārkaṇḍeya bersabda: “Wahai raja, semakin engkau bertutur, semakin ucapanku sendiri menjadi kegembiraan. Walau seseorang menjadi lemah kerana usia tua, wahai anakku, persahabatanmu tidaklah lenyap. Maka dengarkanlah, bersama kaum kerabatmu, kisah yang terpuji ini, yang menghapus dosa.”
Mārkaṇḍeya
Tirtha: Revā-kathā context (not a single named tīrtha in this verse)
Type: kshetra
Listener: the king addressed as ‘nṛpa’, ‘tāta’, ‘Bhārata’ (contextual)
Scene: Mārkaṇḍeya, aged yet radiant, speaks affectionately to the king; behind them, kinsmen sit in a semicircle, attentive. The sage’s words are depicted as a cleansing stream of light labeled ‘pāpa-harā’.
FAQs
Reverent listening to a praiseworthy Purāṇic narrative is presented as a means of purification (pāpa-haraṇa) and a support for dharma.
This verse functions as a preface; the broader context is the Revā-khaṇḍa, which venerates the sacred geography connected with the river Revā (Narmadā).
No specific rite is prescribed here; the instruction is śravaṇa—listening attentively (ideally with one’s family) to a pāpaharā kathā.