Skanda Purana — Nagara Khanda, Shloka 9

Devanagari script

तदर्थं तेषु सन्तानं तावन्मात्रं युगेयुगे । सत्त्वाढ्यानां च लोकानां न कलौ चाल्पमेधसाम्

Transliteration

tadarthaṃ teṣu santānaṃ tāvanmātraṃ yugeyuge | sattvāḍhyānāṃ ca lokānāṃ na kalau cālpamedhasām

Translation

ولهذا الغرض، في العصور السابقة كان الإذن في شأن النَّسْل لا يتجاوز ذلك القدر، إذ كانت العوالم غنية بالفضيلة. أمّا في كالي، وبين ذوي الفهم القليل، فلا تثبت تلك الكفّة من الضبط في العمل.

Word by Word

• तदर्थम्: for that purpose
• तदर्थम्: Sambandha (Purpose/प्रयोजन)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: तद् (सर्वनाम) + अर्थ (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: अव्ययीभाव-समास (तस्य अर्थम् = 'for that purpose'); अव्यय (indeclinable)

• तेषु: among them
• तेषु: Adhikarana (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: तद् (प्रातिपदिक; सर्वनाम)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, सप्तमी (7th), बहुवचन (locative plural: 'among/in them')

• सन्तानम्: progeny/continuation
• सन्तानम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: सन्तान (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया (1st/2nd), एकवचन (masculine nominative/accusative singular)

• तावत्-मात्रम्: only that much
• तावत्-मात्रम्: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: तावत् (प्रातिपदिक/परिमाण) + मात्र (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: कर्मधारय-समास (तावत् एव मात्रम्); नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया (1st/2nd), एकवचन; विशेषण (neuter nom/acc singular; adjective to सन्तानम्)

• युगे-युगे: in every age
• युगे-युगे: Adhikarana (Time/कालाधिकरण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: युग (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: अव्यय; वीप्सा-द्वन्द्व/पुनरुक्ति (distributive repetition: 'in each yuga')

• सत्त्व-आढ्यानाम्: of the virtuous/strong-minded
• सत्त्व-आढ्यानाम्: Sambandha (Genitive relation/षष्ठी)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: सत्त्व (प्रातिपदिक) + आढ्य (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: तत्पुरुष-समास (सत्त्वेन आढ्याः); पुंलिङ्ग, षष्ठी (6th), बहुवचन; विशेषण (masculine genitive plural; adjective)

• च: and
• च: Sambandha (Connector/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: च (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; समुच्चयबोधक (conjunction)

• लोकानाम्: of people/worlds
• लोकानाम्: Sambandha (Genitive relation/षष्ठी)
• Type: Noun
• Root: लोक (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, षष्ठी (6th), बहुवचन (masculine genitive plural)

• न: not
• न: Sambandha (Negation/निषेध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: न (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; निषेध (negation)

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

• च: and
• च: Sambandha (Connector/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: च (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; समुच्चय/अन्वय (conjunction)

• अल्प-मेधसाम्: of the dull-witted
• अल्प-मेधसाम्: Sambandha (Genitive relation/षष्ठी)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: अल्प (प्रातिपदिक) + मेधस् (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: तत्पुरुष-समास (अल्पा मेधा येषाम्); पुंलिङ्ग, षष्ठी (6th), बहुवचन; विशेषण (masculine genitive plural; adjective used substantively)

Speaker

Sūta (Lomaharṣaṇa) to the sages (deduced from Purāṇic tīrtha-māhātmya narration style in Nāgara-khaṇḍa)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Type: kshetra

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: mahābhāga (unnamed)

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A contrast tableau: on one side, luminous ‘sattvāḍhya’ people in a golden age practicing measured restraint; on the other, Kali-age figures with distracted faces and dim aura, prompting the sage’s cautionary teaching.

Characters & Entities

• Kali-yuga

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Dharma is upheld more naturally when sattva (inner virtue) is strong; in Kali-yuga, diminished discernment makes restraint harder and thus injunctions become more emphasized.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

This verse functions as a Kali-yuga framing within the Tīrthamāhātmya discourse; no single named tīrtha appears explicitly in this shloka.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

No direct rite (snāna, dāna, japa, śrāddha) is prescribed here; it sets the ethical-yuga context for subsequent rules.