Skanda Purana — Brahma Khanda, Shloka 290

Devanagari script

शूद्रेषु जातिभेदः स्यात्कलौ प्राप्ते नराधिप । भ्रष्टाचाराः परं ज्ञात्वा ज्ञातिबंधेन पीडिताः

Transliteration

śūdreṣu jātibhedaḥ syātkalau prāpte narādhipa | bhraṣṭācārāḥ paraṃ jñātvā jñātibaṃdhena pīḍitāḥ

Translation

ഹേ നരാധിപാ! കലിയുഗം വന്നാൽ ശൂദ്രന്മാരിൽ ജാതി-ഉപജാതി ഭേദങ്ങൾ ഉദ്ഭവിക്കും. ഉന്നതത്തെ അറിഞ്ഞിട്ടും അവർ ആചാരഭ്രഷ്ടരായി, ബന്ധുജനബന്ധനത്തിന്റെ സമ്മർദ്ദത്തിൽ പീഡിതരാകും.

Word by Word

• शूद्रेषु: among the Śūdras
• शूद्रेषु: Adhikarana (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: शूद्र (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, सप्तमी (7th/Locative), बहुवचन

• जाति: of caste/birth-group
• जाति: Sambandha (Genitive/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: जाति (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, षष्ठी (6th/Genitive), एकवचन; समासपूर्वपद

• भेदः: difference/division
• भेदः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: भेद (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), एकवचन

• स्यात्: would be/should occur
• स्यात्: Kriya (Predicate/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: अस् (धातु)
• Form: विधिलिङ् (Optative), प्रथमपुरुष (3rd person), एकवचन; परस्मैपद

• कलौ: in Kali (age)
• कलौ: Adhikarana (Time/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: कलि (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, सप्तमी (7th/Locative), एकवचन

• प्राप्ते: when (it) has come/arrived
• प्राप्ते: Adhikarana (Locative absolute/अधिकरण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: प्राप् (धातु) + क्त (प्रत्यय)
• Form: क्त-प्रत्ययान्त (past passive participle), पुंलिङ्ग/नपुंसकलिङ्ग, सप्तमी (7th/Locative), एकवचन; सति-सप्तमी (locative absolute)

• नराधिप: O king (lord of men)
• नराधिप: Sambodhana (Address/सम्बोधन)
• Type: Noun
• Root: नर + अधिप (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, सम्बोधन (Vocative), एकवचन; षष्ठी-तत्पुरुष (नराणाम् अधिपः)

• भ्रष्टाचाराः: of corrupted conduct / fallen in conduct
• भ्रष्टाचाराः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: भ्रष्ट + आचार (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), बहुवचन; कर्मधारय (भ्रष्टः आचारः येषाम्/भ्रष्ट-आचाराः)

• परम्: greatly/utterly
• परम्: Kriya-visheshana (Adverbial/क्रियाविशेषण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: पर (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: क्रियाविशेषणरूपेण अव्यय (adverbial accusative: 'excessively/utterly')

• ज्ञात्वा: having known
• ज्ञात्वा: Purvakala (Prior action/पूर्वकाल)
• Type: Verb
• Root: ज्ञा (धातु) + त्वा (प्रत्यय)
• Form: क्त्वान्त (absolutive/gerund), अव्ययभाव; पूर्वकालिक क्रिया

• ज्ञाति: of kin/relatives
• ज्ञाति: Sambandha (Genitive/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: ज्ञाति (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, षष्ठी (6th/Genitive), एकवचन; समासपूर्वपद

• बन्धेन: by bondage/constraint
• बन्धेन: Karana (Instrument/करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: बन्ध (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, तृतीया (3rd/Instrumental), एकवचन

• पीडिताः: afflicted/oppressed
• पीडिताः: Karta (Subject complement/कर्ता)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: पीड् (धातु) + क्त (प्रत्यय)
• Form: क्त-प्रत्ययान्त (past passive participle), पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), बहुवचन; कर्मणि-भाव

Speaker

Unspecified (addressing a king: narādhipa)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Dharmāraṇya (contextual)

Type: kshetra

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: narādhipa (king)

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A king listens as a sage describes Kali-yuga: groups splitting into many sub-castes, people arguing, elders distressed; behind them a serene forest-āśrama symbolizes dharma as refuge.

Characters & Entities

• Kali-yuga
• Narādhipa (king)
• Śūdra

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

In Kali-yuga, social fragmentation and loss of right conduct are portrayed as sources of suffering; dharma is upheld through ethical discipline rather than mere status.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

No specific tīrtha is mentioned; the verse shifts to a Kali-yuga themed reflection within the Dharmāraṇya narrative.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

No explicit rite; it is a diagnostic teaching about the consequences of bhraṣṭācāra (moral lapse) in Kali-yuga.