Skanda Purana — Prabhasa Khanda, Shloka 37

Devanagari script

तदारभ्य महाराज क्रियायोगो धरातले । प्रवृत्तः प्रतिमाकारः काले च कलिसंज्ञके

Transliteration

tadārabhya mahārāja kriyāyogo dharātale | pravṛttaḥ pratimākāraḥ kāle ca kalisaṃjñake

Translation

Desde entonces, oh gran rey, floreció sobre la tierra la disciplina de los ritos sagrados (kriyā-yoga); y en la era llamada Kali quedó establecida la adoración mediante imágenes (pratimā).

Word by Word

• tad-ārabhya: from then on
• tad-ārabhya: Adhikaraṇa (Temporal/कालाधिकरण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: tad (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक) + ārabhya (अव्यय; √rabh)
• Form: अव्यय (अब्लेटिव-भावे) ‘from that time onward’; ‘ārabhya’ = क्त्वान्त/ल्यप्-प्रयोगे अव्ययीभावार्थ

• mahā-rāja: O great king
• mahā-rāja: Sambodhana (Address/सम्बोधन)
• Type: Noun
• Root: mahā (प्रातिपदिक) + rāja (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, सम्बोधन (8th/Vocative), एकवचन; कर्मधारयः: ‘महान् राजा’

• kriyā-yogaḥ: the discipline of ritual action
• kriyā-yogaḥ: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: kriyā (प्रातिपदिक) + yoga (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/कर्ता), एकवचन; तत्पुरुषः (सम्बन्ध/निर्देश): ‘क्रियायाः योगः/क्रियायोगः’

• dharā-tale: on the earth’s surface
• dharā-tale: Adhikarana (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: dharā (प्रातिपदिक) + tala (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, सप्तमी (7th/अधिकरण), एकवचन; तत्पुरुषः: ‘धरायाः तलम्’

• pravṛttaḥ: began/was set in motion
• pravṛttaḥ: Kriya (State/अवस्था)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: pra-√vṛt (धातु)
• Form: भूतकृदन्त (क्त), पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st), एकवचन; ‘set in motion/began’

• pratimā-kāraḥ: the making of images / image-maker (practice)
• pratimā-kāraḥ: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: pratimā (प्रातिपदिक) + kāra (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st), एकवचन; तत्पुरुषः: ‘प्रतिमायाः कारः/कर्ता’ = ‘maker of images’

• kāle: in the time
• kāle: Adhikaraṇa (Temporal/कालाधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: kāla (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, सप्तमी (7th/अधिकरण), एकवचन

• ca: and
• ca: Samuccaya (Conjunction/समुच्चय)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: ca (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय (समुच्चय/and)

• kali-saṃjñake: called ‘Kali’
• kali-saṃjñake: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: kali (प्रातिपदिक) + saṃjñaka (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, सप्तमी (7th), एकवचन; तत्पुरुषः: ‘कलि-नामके’ (called Kali); विशेषणम् (qualifying ‘kāle’)

Speaker

Unnamed Purāṇic narrator (contextual speaker within Prabhāsa Khaṇḍa)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Hṛṣīkeśa (Arbuda) as exemplar

Type: kshetra

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: Mahārāja (the king addressed)

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A didactic tableau: the spread of ritual discipline across the earth, with artisans shaping icons, priests establishing worship, and devotees learning pratimā-upāsanā in Kali-yuga.

Characters & Entities

• Kali-yuga
• Kriyā-yoga
• Pratimā (icon/image)

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

In Kali-yuga, accessible devotion is emphasized through structured ritual practice and iconic worship.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

The broader context is the Arbuda sacred geography where Hṛṣīkeśa worship is praised.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

It points to kriyā-yoga and pratimā-based worship as the prevailing religious mode in Kali-yuga.