Skanda Purana — Brahma Khanda, Shloka 290
शूद्रेषु जातिभेदः स्यात्कलौ प्राप्ते नराधिप । भ्रष्टाचाराः परं ज्ञात्वा ज्ञातिबंधेन पीडिताः
śūdreṣu jātibhedaḥ syātkalau prāpte narādhipa | bhraṣṭācārāḥ paraṃ jñātvā jñātibaṃdhena pīḍitāḥ
Ô roi, lorsque survient l’âge de Kali, des divisions de sous-castes naissent parmi les Śūdras. Connaissant ce qui est plus élevé, mais déchus de la juste conduite, ils sont accablés par les liens et les contraintes de la parenté.
Unspecified (addressing a king: narādhipa)
Tirtha: Dharmāraṇya (contextual)
Type: kshetra
Listener: narādhipa (king)
Scene: A king listens as a sage describes Kali-yuga: groups splitting into many sub-castes, people arguing, elders distressed; behind them a serene forest-āśrama symbolizes dharma as refuge.
FAQs
In Kali-yuga, social fragmentation and loss of right conduct are portrayed as sources of suffering; dharma is upheld through ethical discipline rather than mere status.
No specific tīrtha is mentioned; the verse shifts to a Kali-yuga themed reflection within the Dharmāraṇya narrative.
No explicit rite; it is a diagnostic teaching about the consequences of bhraṣṭācāra (moral lapse) in Kali-yuga.