Skanda Purana — Prabhasa Khanda, Shloka 87

Devanagari script

तपः परं कृतयुगे त्रेतायां ज्ञानमुच्यते । द्वापरे तु परो यज्ञः कलौ केशवकीर्तनम्

Transliteration

tapaḥ paraṃ kṛtayuge tretāyāṃ jñānamucyate | dvāpare tu paro yajñaḥ kalau keśavakīrtanam

Translation

في كِرتا يوغا قيل إن التَّقشّف (tapas) هو الأسمى؛ وفي تريتا يوغا أُعلن أن المعرفة (jñāna) هي الأسمى. وفي دفابارا يوغا كانت الذبيحة الطقسية (yajña) هي الأسمى؛ أمّا في كالي يوغا فالأسمى هو تسبيح كيشافا وإنشاد اسمه.

Word by Word

• tapaḥ: austerity
• tapaḥ: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: tapas (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग (Neuter), प्रथमा/द्वितीया, एकवचन

• param: supreme
• param: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: para (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया, एकवचन; विशेषण

• kṛta-yuge: in the Kṛta age
• kṛta-yuge: Adhikarana (Time/काल-अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: kṛta (प्रातिपदिक) + yuga (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, सप्तमी (Locative), एकवचन

• tretāyām: in Tretā
• tretāyām: Adhikarana (Time/काल-अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: tretā (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, सप्तमी (Locative), एकवचन

• jñānam: knowledge
• jñānam: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: jñāna (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया, एकवचन

• ucyate: is said; is called
• ucyate: Kriya (Predicate/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: vac (धातु) with ud- (उपसर्ग) → ucyate
• Form: लट् (Present), प्रथमपुरुष (3rd person), एकवचन; कर्मणि (Passive)

• dvāpare: in Dvāpara
• dvāpare: Adhikarana (Time/काल-अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: dvāpara (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, सप्तमी (Locative), एकवचन

• tu: but; indeed
• tu: Sambandha (Particle/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: tu (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; विरोध/विशेषणार्थक (contrastive particle)

• paraḥ: supreme
• paraḥ: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: para (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन; विशेषण

• yajñaḥ: sacrifice
• yajñaḥ: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: yajña (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन

• kalau: in Kali
• kalau: Adhikarana (Time/काल-अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: kali (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, सप्तमी (Locative), एकवचन

• keśava-kīrtanam: chanting/praising Keśava
• keśava-kīrtanam: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: keśava (प्रातिपदिक) + kīrtana (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया, एकवचन

Speaker

Unknown (doctrinal statement within Dvārakā Māhātmya)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Dvārakā (context); Keśava-kīrtana as Kali-yuga tīrtha-dharma

Type: kshetra

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: null

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A four-panel allegory of the yugas: ascetic in meditation (Kṛta), sage teaching jñāna (Tretā), priests performing yajña (Dvāpara), and a mixed crowd in Kali singing Keśava’s names with mṛdaṅga and karatālas—set against Dvārakā’s temple backdrop.

Characters & Entities

• Kṛta Yuga
• Tretā Yuga
• Dvāpara Yuga
• Kali Yuga
• Keśava

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

The Purāṇas emphasize yuga-appropriate dharma: in Kali Yuga, bhakti expressed as Keśava-kīrtana is the foremost means.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

No single tīrtha is named; the verse teaches yuga-dharma within the Dvārakā Māhātmya setting.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

Keśava-kīrtana—devotional chanting/glorification—recommended as the supreme practice in Kali Yuga.