Skanda Purana — Brahma Khanda, Shloka 290

Devanagari script

शूद्रेषु जातिभेदः स्यात्कलौ प्राप्ते नराधिप । भ्रष्टाचाराः परं ज्ञात्वा ज्ञातिबंधेन पीडिताः

Transliteration

śūdreṣu jātibhedaḥ syātkalau prāpte narādhipa | bhraṣṭācārāḥ paraṃ jñātvā jñātibaṃdhena pīḍitāḥ

Translation

أيها الملك، إذا أقبل عصر كالي ظهرت بين الشُّودرا انقساماتٌ إلى فروعٍ وجماعات. ومع معرفتهم بما هو أسمى، لكنهم ساقطون عن الاستقامة، يُبتلون بقيود القرابة وضغوط العشيرة.

Word by Word

• शूद्रेषु: among the Śūdras
• शूद्रेषु: Adhikarana (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: शूद्र (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, सप्तमी (7th/Locative), बहुवचन

• जाति: of caste/birth-group
• जाति: Sambandha (Genitive/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: जाति (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, षष्ठी (6th/Genitive), एकवचन; समासपूर्वपद

• भेदः: difference/division
• भेदः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: भेद (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), एकवचन

• स्यात्: would be/should occur
• स्यात्: Kriya (Predicate/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: अस् (धातु)
• Form: विधिलिङ् (Optative), प्रथमपुरुष (3rd person), एकवचन; परस्मैपद

• कलौ: in Kali (age)
• कलौ: Adhikarana (Time/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: कलि (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, सप्तमी (7th/Locative), एकवचन

• प्राप्ते: when (it) has come/arrived
• प्राप्ते: Adhikarana (Locative absolute/अधिकरण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: प्राप् (धातु) + क्त (प्रत्यय)
• Form: क्त-प्रत्ययान्त (past passive participle), पुंलिङ्ग/नपुंसकलिङ्ग, सप्तमी (7th/Locative), एकवचन; सति-सप्तमी (locative absolute)

• नराधिप: O king (lord of men)
• नराधिप: Sambodhana (Address/सम्बोधन)
• Type: Noun
• Root: नर + अधिप (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, सम्बोधन (Vocative), एकवचन; षष्ठी-तत्पुरुष (नराणाम् अधिपः)

• भ्रष्टाचाराः: of corrupted conduct / fallen in conduct
• भ्रष्टाचाराः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: भ्रष्ट + आचार (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), बहुवचन; कर्मधारय (भ्रष्टः आचारः येषाम्/भ्रष्ट-आचाराः)

• परम्: greatly/utterly
• परम्: Kriya-visheshana (Adverbial/क्रियाविशेषण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: पर (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: क्रियाविशेषणरूपेण अव्यय (adverbial accusative: 'excessively/utterly')

• ज्ञात्वा: having known
• ज्ञात्वा: Purvakala (Prior action/पूर्वकाल)
• Type: Verb
• Root: ज्ञा (धातु) + त्वा (प्रत्यय)
• Form: क्त्वान्त (absolutive/gerund), अव्ययभाव; पूर्वकालिक क्रिया

• ज्ञाति: of kin/relatives
• ज्ञाति: Sambandha (Genitive/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: ज्ञाति (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, षष्ठी (6th/Genitive), एकवचन; समासपूर्वपद

• बन्धेन: by bondage/constraint
• बन्धेन: Karana (Instrument/करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: बन्ध (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, तृतीया (3rd/Instrumental), एकवचन

• पीडिताः: afflicted/oppressed
• पीडिताः: Karta (Subject complement/कर्ता)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: पीड् (धातु) + क्त (प्रत्यय)
• Form: क्त-प्रत्ययान्त (past passive participle), पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), बहुवचन; कर्मणि-भाव

Speaker

Unspecified (addressing a king: narādhipa)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Dharmāraṇya (contextual)

Type: kshetra

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: narādhipa (king)

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A king listens as a sage describes Kali-yuga: groups splitting into many sub-castes, people arguing, elders distressed; behind them a serene forest-āśrama symbolizes dharma as refuge.

Characters & Entities

• Kali-yuga
• Narādhipa (king)
• Śūdra

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

In Kali-yuga, social fragmentation and loss of right conduct are portrayed as sources of suffering; dharma is upheld through ethical discipline rather than mere status.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

No specific tīrtha is mentioned; the verse shifts to a Kali-yuga themed reflection within the Dharmāraṇya narrative.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

No explicit rite; it is a diagnostic teaching about the consequences of bhraṣṭācāra (moral lapse) in Kali-yuga.