Skanda Purana — Nagara Khanda, Shloka 32

Devanagari script

कृष्णत्वं याति देवोऽपि तत्र चैव चतुर्भुजः । एक पादोऽपि धर्मस्य यावत्तावत्प्रवर्तते

Transliteration

kṛṣṇatvaṃ yāti devo'pi tatra caiva caturbhujaḥ | eka pādo'pi dharmasya yāvattāvatpravartate

Translation

ત્યાં ચતુર્ભુજ ભગવાન પણ કૃષ્ણત્વ (અંધકારમય સ્વરૂપ) ધારણ કરે છે; અને ધર્મનો એકમાત્ર પગ પણ જેટલો સમય શક્ય હોય તેટલો જ ચાલે છે।

Word by Word

• कृष्णत्वम्: blackness; the state of being dark
• कृष्णत्वम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: कृष्णत्व (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति (1st/Nominative), एकवचन

• याति: goes; attains
• याति: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: या (धातु)
• Form: लट्-लकार (Present), प्रथमपुरुष (3rd person), एकवचन

• देवः: the god; deity
• देवः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: देव (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति (1st/Nominative), एकवचन

• अपि: also; even
• अपि: Sambandha (Particle/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: अपि (अव्यय)
• Form: निपात (particle), समुच्चय/अपि-अर्थ (also/even)

• तत्र: there
• तत्र: Adhikarana (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: तत्र (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय, देशवाचक क्रियाविशेषण (locative adverb: there)

• च: and
• च: Sambandha (Conjunction/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: च (अव्यय)
• Form: समुच्चयबोधक अव्यय (conjunction: and)

• एव: indeed; just
• एव: Sambandha (Particle/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: एव (अव्यय)
• Form: अवधारणार्थक निपात (emphatic particle: indeed/just)

• चतुर्भुजः: the four-armed one (Viṣṇu)
• चतुर्भुजः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: चतुर् + भुज (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति (1st/Nominative), एकवचन; समासः—तत्पुरुष (चतस्रो भुजाः यस्य)

• एकः: one
• एकः: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: एक (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति (1st/Nominative), एकवचन; विशेषण

• पादः: foot; quarter (part)
• पादः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: पाद (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति (1st/Nominative), एकवचन

• अपि: even
• अपि: Sambandha (Particle/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: अपि (अव्यय)
• Form: निपात (particle), अपि-अर्थ (even/also)

• धर्मस्य: of dharma; of righteousness
• धर्मस्य: Shashthi-Sambandha (Genitive/षष्ठीसम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: धर्म (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, षष्ठी-विभक्ति (6th/Genitive), एकवचन

• यावत्: as long as; so far as
• यावत्: Kriya-Visheshana (Adverbial/क्रियाविशेषण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: यावत् (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय, परिमाण/अवधि-बोधक (correlative: as long as/so far as)

• तावत्: that long; so much
• तावत्: Kriya-Visheshana (Adverbial/क्रियाविशेषण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: तावत् (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय, तावत्-प्रत्यवस्थापन (correlative: that long/so much)

• प्रवर्तते: continues; proceeds; is in operation
• प्रवर्तते: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: प्र + वृत् (धातु)
• Form: लट्-लकार (Present), प्रथमपुरुष (3rd person), एकवचन; आत्मनेपद

Speaker

Skanda (deduced from Nāgarakhaṇḍa Tīrthamāhātmya narrative style)

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A four-armed Lord (Nārāyaṇa-like) with a darkened aura standing behind the one-legged Dharma-bull, as if supporting it; the world around appears dim, yet a thin beam of light persists.

Characters & Entities

• Dharma
• Caturbhuja Deva (Viṣṇu/Divine Lord)
• Kali Yuga

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

In Kali Yuga, even divine manifestation is described as ‘darkened,’ and dharma survives only minimally—hence steadfast practice is crucial.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

No specific tīrtha is mentioned in this line; it supports the chapter’s broader tīrtha-teaching by describing the age’s condition.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

No direct ritual instruction appears in this verse.