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
Quand le vrai dharma décline et que l’anti-dharma s’affermit; quand se perd la pratique réglée des rites justes et que l’autorité de l’enseignement védique est rejetée; quand le dharma ne tient plus que sur un seul pied et que la société se trouve privée de l’ordre des varṇa et des āśrama—alors le monde sombre dans une grave déchéance.
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.