Skanda Purana — Prabhasa Khanda, Shloka 20

Devanagari script

मत्वा कलियुगं रौद्रं बहुपापं वरानने । नान्येन तरते दुर्गां कर्मणा दुर्गतिं नरः

Transliteration

matvā kaliyugaṃ raudraṃ bahupāpaṃ varānane | nānyena tarate durgāṃ karmaṇā durgatiṃ naraḥ

Translation

ເມື່ອຮູ້ວ່າ ກະລິຍຸກ (Kali-yuga) ແຮງກ້າ ແລະເຕັມໄປດ້ວຍບາບຫຼາຍ, ໂອ ຜູ້ມີໃບໜ້າງາມ! ມະນຸດບໍ່ອາດຂ້າມພົ້ນທາງອັນຫຍຸ້ງຍາກນີ້—ຊະຕາກຳອັນຕໍ່າຕໍ່ຍ້ອນກຳ—ໄດ້ດ້ວຍວິທີອື່ນໃດເລີຍ.

Word by Word

• matvā: having considered/knowing
• matvā: Kriya-viseshana (Adverbial modifier of main verb)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: man (धातु) → matvā (क्त्वान्त अव्यय/कृदन्त)
• Form: क्त्वान्त (absolutive/gerund), अव्ययभावः; पूर्वकाले कृत्यं (having considered)

• kaliyugam: the Kali age
• kaliyugam: Karma (Object of matvā)
• Type: Noun
• Root: kaliyuga (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd/Accusative), एकवचन; समासः—कलिः + युगम् (षष्ठी-तत्पुरुषः: ‘कलियुगः’)

• raudram: fierce/terrible
• raudram: Visheshana (Qualifier)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: raudra (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया, एकवचन; विशेषणम् (qualifying kaliyugam)

• bahupāpam: full of many sins
• bahupāpam: Visheshana (Qualifier)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: bahu + pāpa (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया, एकवचन; समासः—बहु + पापम् (कर्मधारयः: ‘बहुपापम्’ = ‘many-sinful’)

• varānane: O fair-faced one
• varānane: Sambodhana (Address)
• Type: Noun
• Root: varānana (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, सम्बोधन (8th/Vocative), एकवचन; समासः—वर + आनन (कर्मधारयः: ‘beautiful-faced’)

• na: not
• na: Negation (of tarate)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: na (अव्यय)
• Form: निषेधार्थक-अव्यय (negation particle)

• anyena: by any other (means)
• anyena: Karana (Instrument/means)
• Type: Noun
• Root: anya (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग/नपुंसकलिङ्ग, तृतीया (3rd/Instrumental), एकवचन; ‘by another (means)’

• tarate: crosses/overcomes
• tarate: Kriya (Main verb)
• Type: Verb
• Root: tṝ (धातु)
• Form: लट् (Present), प्रथमपुरुष (3rd person), एकवचन; आत्मनेपद

• durgām: difficulty/danger (hard passage)
• durgām: Karma (Object of tarate)
• Type: Noun
• Root: durgā (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, द्वितीया, एकवचन

• karmaṇā: by action/deed
• karmaṇā: Karana (Instrument/means)
• Type: Noun
• Root: karman (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, तृतीया, एकवचन

• durgatim: misfortune/bad destiny
• durgatim: Karma (Object; what is crossed/avoided)
• Type: Noun
• Root: durgati (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, द्वितीया, एकवचन

• naraḥ: a man/person
• naraḥ: Karta (Subject)
• Type: Noun
• Root: nara (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), एकवचन

Speaker

Śiva (addressing Devī; 'varānane')

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Prabhāsa-kṣetra (implied)

Type: kshetra

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: Varānanā (addressed ‘O lovely-faced one’; likely a female interlocutor within the narrative frame)

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A contrast scene: dark, turbulent Kali-yuga with people burdened by chains labeled ‘karma’, and a luminous path leading to the Somanātha shrine at Prabhāsa, suggesting refuge through divine grace rather than mere worldly striving.

Characters & Entities

• Kali-yuga
• Devī

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

In the Kali age, ordinary karmic striving tends toward hardship; one needs a higher salvific support—implied here as the kṣetra’s deity-centered refuge.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

The surrounding context is Prabhāsa Kṣetra and Someśvara worship as the implied means of crossing Kali-yuga’s dangers.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

No explicit ritual is named in this verse; it sets the theological premise that ordinary means are insufficient, preparing for the kṣetra-based remedy.