Skanda Purana — Nagara Khanda, Shloka 8

Devanagari script

भर्तृयज्ञ उवाच । सत्यमेतन्महाभाग सर्वे ते धर्मतः सुताः । परं युगत्रये प्रोक्ता न कलौ कलुषापहाः

Transliteration

bhartṛyajña uvāca | satyametanmahābhāga sarve te dharmataḥ sutāḥ | paraṃ yugatraye proktā na kalau kaluṣāpahāḥ

Translation

Bhartṛyajña dit : C’est vrai, ô bienheureux—selon le dharma, tous sont tenus pour des fils. Mais cela est énoncé pour les trois âges précédents ; dans le Kali Yuga, ils n’ôtent pas l’impureté.

Word by Word

• भर्तृयज्ञः: Bhartṛyajña
• भर्तृयज्ञः: Karta (Speaker/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: भर्तृयज्ञ (प्रातिपदिक; व्यक्तिनाम)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st), एकवचन (masculine nominative singular; speaker tag)

• उवाच: said
• उवाच: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: वच् (धातु)
• Form: लिट्-लकार (perfect), परस्मैपद; प्रथमपुरुष (3rd), एकवचन (he said)

• सत्यम्: true
• सत्यम्: Karma (Predicate complement/विधेय)
• Type: Noun
• Root: सत्य (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया (1st/2nd), एकवचन; विधेय (neuter nominative/accusative singular; predicate 'true')

• एतत्: this
• एतत्: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: एतद् (प्रातिपदिक; सर्वनाम)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया (1st/2nd), एकवचन (neuter this)

• महाभाग: O fortunate one
• महाभाग: Sambodhana (Address/सम्बोधन)
• Type: Noun
• Root: महाभाग (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: कर्मधारय-समास (महान् + भागः); पुंलिङ्ग, सम्बोधन (8th), एकवचन (vocative singular)

• सर्वे: all
• सर्वे: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: सर्व (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st), बहुवचन; विशेषण (masculine nominative plural; adjective)

• ते: they
• ते: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: तद् (प्रातिपदिक; सर्वनाम)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st), बहुवचन (masculine nominative plural; pronoun)

• धर्मतः: according to dharma
• धर्मतः: Sambandha (Adverbial qualifier/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: धर्म (प्रातिपदिक) + तस् (तद्धित/अव्ययप्रत्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; तस्-प्रत्ययान्त (ablatival adverb: 'according to/from the standpoint of dharma')

• सुताः: sons
• सुताः: Karta (Subject complement/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: सुत (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st), बहुवचन (masculine nominative plural)

• परम्: however
• परम्: Sambandha (Discourse marker/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: पर (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: अव्यय; विरोध/अपवादार्थे (indeclinable 'however/but')

• युगत्रये: in the three yugas
• युगत्रये: Adhikarana (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: युग (प्रातिपदिक) + त्रय (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: द्विगु-समास (त्रयाणि युगानि); नपुंसकलिङ्ग, सप्तमी (7th), एकवचन (locative singular: 'in the three yugas')

• प्रोक्ताः: were declared
• प्रोक्ताः: Karma (Predicate complement in passive/कर्मणि विधेय)
• Type: Verb
• Root: प्र+वच् (धातु) → प्रोक्त (कृदन्त, क्त-प्रत्यय)
• Form: भूतकर्मणि कृदन्त (past passive participle); पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st), बहुवचन; विधेय (PPP; masculine nominative plural; predicate)

• न: not
• न: Sambandha (Negation/निषेध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: न (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; निषेध-निपात (negation)

• कलौ: in Kali (age)
• कलौ: Adhikarana (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: कलि (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, सप्तमी (7th), एकवचन (masculine locative singular: 'in Kali (yuga)')

• कलुष-अपहाः: removers of impurity
• कलुष-अपहाः: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: कलुष (प्रातिपदिक) + अपह (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: तत्पुरुष-समास (कलुषं अपहन्ति इति/कलुषस्य अपहाः); पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st), बहुवचन; विशेषण (masculine nominative plural; adjective)

Speaker

Bhartṛyajña

Tirtha Mahatmya

Type: kshetra

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: mahābhāga (unnamed interlocutor in this excerpt)

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A didactic dialogue scene: Bhartṛyajña, seated as a sage, addresses a ‘mahābhāga’ listener, gesturing toward a symbolic wheel of the four yugas, with Kali shown as darkened and clouded by ‘kalmaṣa’.

Characters & Entities

• Bhartṛyajña
• Kali Yuga

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Dharma is applied with yuga-awareness: practices valid in earlier ages may be restricted in Kali due to diminished capacity and increased impurity.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

No specific site is praised in this verse; it is a yuga-dharma clarification within the Hāṭakeśvara-kṣetra Māhātmya’s śrāddha teachings.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

It limits certain ‘son-like’ categories to the earlier yugas, indicating they are not considered purifying/authoritative for śrāddha in Kali Yuga.