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
Cuando el verdadero dharma mengua y el anti-dharma se hace fuerte; cuando se pierde la práctica disciplinada de los ritos justos y se desecha la autoridad de la enseñanza védica; cuando el dharma se sostiene sólo en un pie y la sociedad queda apartada del orden de varṇa y āśrama—entonces el mundo entra en una dolorosa decadencia.
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.