Skanda Purana — Nagara Khanda, Shloka 31

Devanagari script

ततः कलियुगं प्रोक्तं चतुर्थं च सुदारुणम् । एकपादो वृषो यत्र पापं पादैस्त्रिभिः स्थितम्

Transliteration

tataḥ kaliyugaṃ proktaṃ caturthaṃ ca sudāruṇam | ekapādo vṛṣo yatra pāpaṃ pādaistribhiḥ sthitam

Translation

Darauf wird das Kali-Yuga verkündet—das vierte, überaus schreckliche Zeitalter—wo der Stier des Dharma nur noch auf einem Bein steht, während die Sünde auf dreien gegründet ist.

Word by Word

• tataḥ: thereafter
• tataḥ: Sambandha (Discourse/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: tataḥ (अव्यय)
• Form: अपादान/अनन्तरबोधक-अव्यय (from then/thereafter)

• kali-yugam: the Kali age
• kali-yugam: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: kali (प्रातिपदिक) + yuga (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2), एकवचन; षष्ठी-तत्पुरुषः (kaleḥ yugam)

• proktam: has been said/declared
• proktam: Kriyā (Predicate/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: pra + √vac (वच्, धातु)
• Form: कृदन्त (past passive participle/क्त), नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया (1/2), एकवचन

• caturtham: fourth
• caturtham: Viśeṣaṇa (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: caturtha (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2), एकवचन; क्रमवाचक-विशेषण (ordinal adjective)

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

• sudāruṇam: very dreadful
• sudāruṇam: Viśeṣaṇa (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: su (उपसर्ग) + dāruṇa (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2), एकवचन; विशेषण

• eka-pādaḥ: one-footed
• eka-pādaḥ: Viśeṣaṇa (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: eka (संख्या-प्रातिपदिक) + pāda (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1), एकवचन; द्विगु/तत्पुरुष-समासः (ekaḥ pādaḥ yasya)

• vṛṣaḥ: the bull (of Dharma)
• vṛṣaḥ: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: vṛṣa (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1), एकवचन

• yatra: where
• yatra: Adhikaraṇa (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: yatra (अव्यय)
• Form: देशवाचक-अव्यय (relative adverb: where)

• pāpam: sin
• pāpam: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: pāpa (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1), एकवचन

• pādaiḥ: by feet/parts
• pādaiḥ: Karaṇa (Instrument/करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: pāda (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, तृतीया (3), बहुवचन

• tribhiḥ: with three
• tribhiḥ: Viśeṣaṇa (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: tri (संख्या-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: संख्याविशेषण, तृतीया (3), बहुवचन

• sthitam: is established/stands
• sthitam: Kriyā (Predicate/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: √sthā (स्था, धातु)
• Form: कृदन्त (past passive participle/क्त), नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया (1/2), एकवचन; ‘स्थितम्’ = ‘is established’

Speaker

Skanda (deduced from Nāgarakhaṇḍa Tīrthamāhātmya narrative style)

Visual Art Cues

Scene: Personified Dharma as a bull standing on one leg, trembling; beside it, a three-legged dark figure of Pāpa/Kali stands firm; the sky shows the turning of ages.

Characters & Entities

• Kali Yuga
• Dharma (as Vṛṣa/Bull)
• Pāpa (Sin)

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Kali Yuga is marked by a drastic weakening of dharma and a dominance of sin; spiritual effort must therefore be more deliberate.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

No specific tīrtha is named in this verse; it sets the yuga-context within a Tīrthamāhātmya discourse.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

None is directly prescribed here.