Skanda Purana — Prabhasa Khanda, Shloka 21

Devanagari script

अधर्मपरमैः पुंभिः सत्यार्जवनिराकृतैः । कथं स भगवान्विष्णुः संप्राप्यो मुनिसत्तमाः

Transliteration

adharmaparamaiḥ puṃbhiḥ satyārjavanirākṛtaiḥ | kathaṃ sa bhagavānviṣṇuḥ saṃprāpyo munisattamāḥ

Translation

Lorsque les hommes s’attachent à l’adharma, rejetant vérité et droiture, comment atteindre le Seigneur bienheureux Viṣṇu, ô meilleurs des sages ?

Word by Word

• अधर्मपरमैः: by men devoted to adharma
• अधर्मपरमैः: Karana (Instrument/करण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: अधर्म + परम (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, तृतीया-विभक्ति, बहुवचन; विशेषण (qualifying पुंभिः)

• पुंभिः: by men
• पुंभिः: Karana (Instrument/करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: पुम्स्/पुं (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, तृतीया-विभक्ति, बहुवचन

• सत्य: truth
• सत्य: Modifier (सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: सत्य (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग (or adjective-stem), समासाङ्ग (in compound)

• आर्जव: straightforwardness
• आर्जव: Modifier (सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: आर्जव (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, समासाङ्ग (in compound)

• निराकृतैः: by those who have rejected
• निराकृतैः: Karana (Instrument/करण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: निर् + कृ (धातु) → निराकृत (कृदन्त-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: भूतकृदन्त (past passive participle), पुंलिङ्ग, तृतीया-विभक्ति, बहुवचन; विशेषण (qualifying पुंभिः)

• कथम्: how
• कथम्: Modifier (प्रश्न)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: कथम् (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय, प्रश्नार्थक-क्रियाविशेषण (interrogative adverb)

• सः: he/that
• सः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: तद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन

• भगवान्: the Blessed Lord
• भगवान्: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: भगवत् (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन

• विष्णुः: Viṣṇu
• विष्णुः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: विष्णु (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन; अप्पोजिशन to भगवान्

• संप्राप्यः: to be attained/obtainable
• संप्राप्यः: Kriya-arthaka (Predicate necessity)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: सम् + प्र + आप् (धातु) → संप्राप्य (कृदन्त-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: भाव्य/कर्तव्यतार्थक कृदन्त (gerundive/तव्यत्-भाव), पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन; विधेय-विशेषण (predicate)

• मुनिसत्तमाः: O best of sages
• मुनिसत्तमाः: Sambodhana/Address (सम्बोधन)
• Type: Noun
• Root: मुनि + सत्तम (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, बहुवचन; सम्बोधनार्थे (vocative sense)

Speaker

One of the assembled sages (question posed in council; specific speaker not named)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Dvārakā

Type: kshetra

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: muni-sattamāḥ (best of sages)

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A circle of worried sages in a forest āśrama, discussing the spread of adharma and the difficulty of attaining Viṣṇu in Kali; subdued light, austere setting, contemplative gestures.

Characters & Entities

• Viṣṇu
• Dharma
• Satya
• Ārjava
• Munis

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Attainment of Viṣṇu is bound to inner virtues—truthfulness and sincerity—without which religious life becomes hollow.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

The verse focuses on spiritual qualification; within Dvārakā-māhātmya it supports the theme of seeking Viṣṇu’s refuge associated with Dvārakā.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

None explicitly; it emphasizes ethical foundations (satya, ārjava).