Skanda Purana — Prabhasa Khanda, Shloka 22
को वा भवाब्धौ पततस्तारयिष्यति संगतान् । न कलौ संभवस्तस्य त्रियुगो मधुसूदनः । तं विना पुंडरीकाक्षं कथं स्याम कलौ युगे
ko vā bhavābdhau patatastārayiṣyati saṃgatān | na kalau saṃbhavastasya triyugo madhusūdanaḥ | taṃ vinā puṃḍarīkākṣaṃ kathaṃ syāma kalau yuge
Wer wird uns denn hinübergeleiten—uns, die wir gemeinsam in den Ozean des Werdens, des Samsara, gestürzt sind? Im Kali gibt es kein offenbares Herabsteigen Madhusūdanas, der in drei Yugas erscheint. Ohne jenen lotosäugigen Herrn—wie sollen wir im Kali-Zeitalter bestehen?
One of the assembled sages (lament in council; specific speaker not named)
Tirtha: Dvārakā (implied)
Type: kshetra
Scene: Sages gaze toward a vast ocean symbolizing saṃsāra; waves dark and high, their faces anxious; above, a faint, distant lotus-eyed Viṣṇu/Kṛṣṇa form appears like a memory, emphasizing avatāra-viraha in Kali.
FAQs
It expresses human helplessness in saṃsāra and the need for divine grace, especially when dharma is weak in Kali-yuga.
The verse is theological; within Dvārakā-māhātmya it prepares the ground for seeking Viṣṇu’s saving presence tied to Dvārakā’s sanctity.
None directly; the focus is on deliverance and divine availability in Kali-yuga.