Skanda Purana — Brahma Khanda, Shloka 17

Devanagari script

व्यास उवाच । शृणुष्व कलिधर्मास्त्वं भविष्यंति यथा नृप । असत्यवादिनो लोकाः साधुनिन्दापरायणाः

Transliteration

vyāsa uvāca | śṛṇuṣva kalidharmāstvaṃ bhaviṣyaṃti yathā nṛpa | asatyavādino lokāḥ sādhunindāparāyaṇāḥ

Translation

ວະຍາສະ ກ່າວວ່າ: ໂອ ພະຣາຊາ ຈົ່ງຟັງ ວ່າທຳມະໃນກະລິຍຸກຈະເປັນແນວໃດ। ຜູ້ຄົນຈະເວົ້າຄຳບໍ່ຈິງ ແລະຫມົກມຸ່ນໃນການນິນທາຜູ້ດີ।

Word by Word

• vyāsaḥ: Vyāsa
• vyāsaḥ: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: vyāsa (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन

• uvāca: said
• uvāca: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: √vac (धातु)
• Form: लिट्-लकार (Perfect), प्रथम-पुरुष, एकवचन; परस्मैपद

• śṛṇuṣva: listen
• śṛṇuṣva: Kriya (Command/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: √śru (धातु)
• Form: लोट्-लकार (Imperative), मध्यम-पुरुष, एकवचन; आत्मनेपद

• kali-dharmāḥ: the dharmas/traits of Kali
• kali-dharmāḥ: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: kali (प्रातिपदिक) + dharma (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, बहुवचन; तत्पुरुषः = ‘कलौ धर्माः’ (practices/traits of Kali)

• tvam: you
• tvam: Karta (Listener addressed/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: yusmad (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: उत्तम-पुरुषार्थे मध्यम-पुरुष-सर्वनाम; प्रथमा, एकवचन

• bhaviṣyanti: will be
• bhaviṣyanti: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: √bhū (धातु)
• Form: लृट्-लकार (Simple Future), प्रथम-पुरुष, बहुवचन; परस्मैपद

• yathā: as/just as
• yathā: Sambandha (Connector/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: yathā (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय (adverb/conjunction: ‘as/how’)

• nṛpa: O king
• nṛpa: Sambodhana (Address/सम्बोधन)
• Type: Noun
• Root: nṛpa (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, सम्बोधन, एकवचन

• asatya-vādinaḥ: speaking falsehood
• asatya-vādinaḥ: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: a- (नञ्) + satya (प्रातिपदिक) + vādin (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, बहुवचन; उपपद/तत्पुरुषः = ‘असत्यं वदन्ति ये’

• lokāḥ: people (world)
• lokāḥ: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: loka (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, बहुवचन

• sādhu-nindā-parāyaṇāḥ: intent on criticizing the virtuous
• sādhu-nindā-parāyaṇāḥ: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: sādhu (प्रातिपदिक) + nindā (प्रातिपदिक) + parāyaṇa (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, बहुवचन; तत्पुरुषः = ‘साधूनां निन्दायां परायणाः’ (devoted to censuring the good)

Speaker

Vyāsa

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: Yudhiṣṭhira

Visual Art Cues

Scene: Vyāsa instructs with stern compassion; around him, allegorical figures of Kali whispering lies and people pointing at a saint in blame—contrasted with a small group honoring the virtuous.

Characters & Entities

• Vyāsa
• Kali-yuga

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Kali’s decline is measured by the fall of satya and respect for sādhus; guarding truth and honoring the virtuous becomes essential dharma.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

No specific tīrtha is named; the verse provides the moral diagnosis that underlies the need for refuge in sacred kṣetras.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

None explicitly; it is an ethical forecast describing social degeneration.