Skanda Purana — Prabhasa Khanda, Shloka 29

Devanagari script

एकाकारा भविष्यंति सर्ववर्णाश्रमाश्च वै । नाशं यास्यंति यज्ञाश्च कुलधर्मः सनातनः

Transliteration

ekākārā bhaviṣyaṃti sarvavarṇāśramāśca vai | nāśaṃ yāsyaṃti yajñāśca kuladharmaḥ sanātanaḥ

Translation

Tous les varṇa et les āśrama deviendront uniformes et indiscernables. Les rites du yajña tomberont en ruine, et périront les devoirs anciens des familles et des lignées.

Word by Word

• ekākārāḥ: of one uniform form
• ekākārāḥ: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: eka + ākāra (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), बहुवचन; विशेषण—‘सर्ववर्णाश्रमाः’ इत्यस्य

• bhaviṣyanti: will become / will be
• bhaviṣyanti: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: bhū (धातु)
• Form: लट्-लकारः (Present; here future-sense in Purāṇic usage), परस्मैपदम्, प्रथमपुरुष, बहुवचन

• sarva-varṇa-āśramāḥ: all the varṇas and āśramas
• sarva-varṇa-āśramāḥ: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: sarva + varṇa + āśrama (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), बहुवचन; समाहार/समुच्चयार्थे—‘सर्वे वर्णाश्रमाः’

• ca: and
• ca: Sambandha (Connector)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: ca (अव्यय)
• Form: समुच्चयबोधक-निपात (conjunction)

• vai: indeed
• vai: Sambandha (Emphasis)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: vai (अव्यय)
• Form: निश्चयार्थक-निपात (emphatic particle)

• nāśam: destruction
• nāśam: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: nāśa (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd/Accusative), एकवचन

• yāsyanti: will go (to) / will meet
• yāsyanti: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: yā (धातु)
• Form: लृट्-लकारः (Simple Future), परस्मैपदम्, प्रथमपुरुष, बहुवचन

• yajñāḥ: sacrifices
• yajñāḥ: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: yajña (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), बहुवचन

• ca: and
• ca: Sambandha (Connector)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: ca (अव्यय)
• Form: समुच्चयबोधक-निपात (conjunction)

• kula-dharmaḥ: family/traditional duty
• kula-dharmaḥ: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: kula + dharma (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), एकवचन

• sanātanaḥ: eternal
• sanātanaḥ: Viśeṣaṇa (Qualifier)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: sanātana (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), एकवचन; विशेषण—‘कुलधर्मः’ इत्यस्य

Speaker

Brahmā (contextual)

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A once-ordered society dissolves: four āśrama symbols and varṇa emblems fade into a single indistinct crowd; yajña-kuṇḍas are cracked and cold; ancestral scrolls and family banners lie torn.

Characters & Entities

• Yajña
• Varṇa
• Āśrama
• Kali Yuga

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

When dharmic structures collapse, spiritual life must be safeguarded through conscious adherence to righteousness and sacred supports like tīrthas.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

Not named in this verse; the chapter’s trajectory glorifies Arbuda as the stable refuge for tīrthas in Kali Yuga.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

It notes the destruction of yajñas but does not prescribe a replacement practice in this specific verse.