Skanda Purana — Prabhasa Khanda, Shloka 17
क्षीयमाणे च सद्धर्मे विधर्मे प्रबले तथा । नष्टधर्मक्रियायोगे वेदवादबहिष्कृते । एकपादे स्थिते धर्मे वर्णाश्रमविवर्जिते
kṣīyamāṇe ca saddharme vidharme prabale tathā | naṣṭadharmakriyāyoge vedavādabahiṣkṛte | ekapāde sthite dharme varṇāśramavivarjite
Wenn die wahre Dharma schwindet und das Wider-Dharma erstarkt; wenn die geordnete Übung rechter Riten verloren geht und die Autorität der vedischen Lehre verworfen wird; wenn Dharma nur noch auf einem einzigen Fuß steht und die Gesellschaft vom Gefüge von varṇa und āśrama getrennt ist—dann gerät die Welt in einen schmerzlichen Niedergang.
Narrator (contextual; sages’ deliberation is being described)
Tirtha: Dvārakā (contextual)
Type: kshetra
Scene: Allegory of dharma as a bull with only one leg remaining; broken sacrificial implements; a scroll of Veda pushed aside; society in disarray while a distant temple-lamp still burns.
FAQs
It warns that neglect of Vedic wisdom and disciplined dharmic conduct leads to social and spiritual collapse, urging seekers to preserve authentic dharma.
This verse sets the Kali-yuga context; the surrounding Dvārakā-māhātmya frames the remedy through devotion connected with Dvārakā and Viṣṇu.
No specific rite is prescribed here; it describes the loss of dharma-kriyā (proper religious practice) as a symptom of Kali-yuga.