Skanda Purana — Prabhasa Khanda, Shloka 78

Devanagari script

कलिकाल कृतैर्दोषैरत्युग्रैरपि मानवः । कलौ कृष्णमुखं दृष्ट्वा लिप्यते न कदाचन

Transliteration

kalikāla kṛtairdoṣairatyugrairapi mānavaḥ | kalau kṛṣṇamukhaṃ dṛṣṭvā lipyate na kadācana

Translation

Selbst wenn den Menschen die überaus grimmigen Makel des Kali-Zeitalters bedrängen: Im Kali-Yuga wird, wer Kṛṣṇas Antlitz schaut, niemals befleckt.

Word by Word

• कलिकाल: the time of Kali (Kali age)
• कलिकाल: Sambandha (Genitive relation within compound)
• Type: Noun
• Root: कलि (प्रातिपदिक) + काल (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, तृतीया, एकवचन (पाठानुसारं ‘कलिकालकृतैः’ इत्यत्र पूर्वपद); षष्ठी-तत्पुरुष (कलियुगस्य कालः)

• कृतैः: made/produced
• कृतैः: Visheshana (Qualifier)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: कृ (धातु) → कृत (कृदन्त, क्त-प्रत्यय)
• Form: भूतकर्मणि कृदन्त, पुंलिङ्ग/नपुंसकलिङ्ग, तृतीया, बहुवचन; विशेषण (qualifying दोषैः)

• दोषैः: by faults/defects
• दोषैः: Karana (Instrument/Means/करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: दोष (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, तृतीया, बहुवचन

• अति-उग्रैः: very fierce
• अति-उग्रैः: Visheshana (Qualifier)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: अति (उपसर्ग/अव्यय) + उग्र (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: अव्ययीभाव-समास (अत्यन्त-उग्र); पुंलिङ्ग, तृतीया, बहुवचन; विशेषण (qualifying दोषैः)

• अपि: even
• अपि: Sambandha (Particle)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: अपि (अव्यय)
• Form: अपवाद/समुच्चयार्थक-अव्यय (even/also)

• मानवः: a man/person
• मानवः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: मानव (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन

• कलौ: in Kali (age)
• कलौ: Adhikarana (Locative/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: कलि (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, सप्तमी, एकवचन; Locative singular

• कृष्णमुखम्: Kṛṣṇa’s face
• कृष्णमुखम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: कृष्ण (प्रातिपदिक) + मुख (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया, एकवचन; कर्मधारय (कृष्णं मुखं यस्य/कृष्णस्य मुखम्—contextually ‘Kṛṣṇa’s face’)

• दृष्ट्वा: having seen
• दृष्ट्वा: Sambandha (Prior action)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: दृश् (धातु) → दृष्ट्वा (क्त्वा-प्रत्यय)
• Form: क्त्वान्त-अव्यय (absolutive/gerund)

• लिप्यते: is tainted/defiled
• लिप्यते: Kriya (Action)
• Type: Verb
• Root: लिप् (धातु)
• Form: लट्-लकार (present), प्रथमपुरुष, एकवचन; आत्मनेपद; कर्मणि प्रयोगः (is tainted)

• न: not
• न: Sambandha (Negation)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: न (अव्यय)
• Form: निषेधार्थक-अव्यय (negation)

• कदाचन: ever/at any time
• कदाचन: Sambandha (Temporal adverb)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: कदाचन (अव्यय)
• Form: कालवाचक-अव्यय (ever/at any time)

Speaker

Sūta (Lomaharṣaṇa) to the sages (deduced)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Dvārakā (Kṛṣṇa-darśana)

Type: kshetra

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: General audience within māhātmya discourse

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A person shadowed by dark ‘Kali’ motifs approaches Kṛṣṇa; upon seeing His face, the shadows dissolve, leaving a clear, radiant aura.

Characters & Entities

• Kali-yuga
• Kṛṣṇa

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

In Kali-yuga, darśana of Bhagavān is a direct purifier that neutralizes the age’s corrupting influence.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

Implicitly Dvārakā/Kṛṣṇapurī, where Kṛṣṇa’s presence and darśana are central to the Māhātmya.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

Darśana—seeing Kṛṣṇa (especially in the sacred setting of Kṛṣṇa’s city).