Skanda Purana — Nagara Khanda, Shloka 63

Devanagari script

ब्रह्मोवाच । अस्मिंस्त्रेतायुगे संज्ञा हव्यकव्यसमुद्भवा । संप्रयाता युगे युग्मे कलौ न प्रभविष्यति

Transliteration

brahmovāca | asmiṃstretāyuge saṃjñā havyakavyasamudbhavā | saṃprayātā yuge yugme kalau na prabhaviṣyati

Translation

قال براهما: في هذا التريتا-يوغا قد نشأ النظام المقدّس المتعلّق بقرابين «هافيا» للآلهة وبعطايا «كافيا» للآباء الأسلاف (الپِتْرِس)؛ ولكن مع انقضاء اليوغات المتزاوجة لن يزدهر ذلك في كالي-يوغا.

Word by Word

• ब्रह्मा: Brahmā
• ब्रह्मा: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: ब्रह्मन् (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन

• उवाच: said
• उवाच: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: वच् (धातु)
• Form: लिट्-लकार, प्रथम-पुरुष, एकवचन; परस्मैपद

• अस्मिन्: in this
• अस्मिन्: Adhikarana (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: इदम् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुं/नपुंसक, सप्तमी-विभक्ति (Locative/7th), एकवचन

• त्रेतायुगे: in the Tretā age
• त्रेतायुगे: Adhikarana (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: त्रेता + युग (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, सप्तमी-विभक्ति, एकवचन; षष्ठी-तत्पुरुषः (त्रेतायाः युगे)

• संज्ञा: the designation/term
• संज्ञा: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: संज्ञा (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन

• हव्यकव्यसमुद्भवा: arising from havya and kavya offerings
• हव्यकव्यसमुद्भवा: Visheshana (Adjective/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: हव्य + कव्य + समुद्भव (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन; विशेषण (saṃjñā); षष्ठी-तत्पुरुषः (हव्यकव्ययोः समुद्भवा)

• संप्रयाता: has come/has proceeded
• संप्रयाता: Visheshana (Adjective/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: सम् + प्र + या (धातु)
• Form: क्त-प्रत्ययान्त (Past passive participle), स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन; विशेषण (saṃjñā)

• युगे: in an age
• युगे: Adhikarana (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: युग (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, सप्तमी-विभक्ति, एकवचन

• युग्मे: in the paired (age)
• युग्मे: Visheshana (Adjective/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: युग्म (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, सप्तमी-विभक्ति, एकवचन; विशेषण (yuge)

• कलौ: in Kali (age)
• कलौ: Adhikarana (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: कलि (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, सप्तमी-विभक्ति, एकवचन

• न: not
• न: Pratishedha (Negation/निषेध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: न (अव्यय)
• Form: निषेध-अव्यय (negation particle)

• प्रभविष्यति: will arise/come into being
• प्रभविष्यति: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: प्र + भू (धातु)
• Form: लृट्-लकार (Simple Future), प्रथम-पुरुष, एकवचन; परस्मैपद

Speaker

Brahmā

Tirtha Mahatmya

Type: kshetra

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: Pitṛs (addressed); framed by Bhartṛyajña narrating to the king

Visual Art Cues

Scene: Brahmā proclaims yuga-law: a luminous Tretā backdrop with orderly sacrifice imagery fades into a darker Kali horizon with diminished ritual fires, symbolizing decline.

Characters & Entities

• Brahmā
• Tretā-yuga
• Kali-yuga
• Havya
• Kavya

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Dharma’s outward forms weaken across yugas; Kali-yuga especially disrupts the disciplined culture of deva- and Pitṛ-offerings.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

No particular tīrtha is identified; the focus is yuga-dharma and ritual continuity.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

It frames havya (deva-yajña) and kavya (śrāddha) as yuga-sensitive practices, warning of their decline in Kali.