Skanda Purana — Nagara Khanda, Shloka 9

Devanagari script

तदर्थं तेषु सन्तानं तावन्मात्रं युगेयुगे । सत्त्वाढ्यानां च लोकानां न कलौ चाल्पमेधसाम्

Transliteration

tadarthaṃ teṣu santānaṃ tāvanmātraṃ yugeyuge | sattvāḍhyānāṃ ca lokānāṃ na kalau cālpamedhasām

Translation

ആ ഉദ്ദേശത്താൽ ആ യുഗങ്ങളിൽ യുഗംതോറും സന്താനത്തെക്കുറിച്ചുള്ള അനുമതി അത്രയോളം മാത്രമേ പരിമിതമായിരുന്നുള്ളൂ; കാരണം ലോകങ്ങൾ സത്ത്വസമൃദ്ധമായിരുന്നു. എന്നാൽ കലിയുഗത്തിൽ അൽപമേധസ്സുള്ളവരിൽ ആ നിയന്ത്രണം നിലനിൽക്കില്ല.

Word by Word

• तदर्थम्: for that purpose
• तदर्थम्: Sambandha (Purpose/प्रयोजन)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: तद् (सर्वनाम) + अर्थ (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: अव्ययीभाव-समास (तस्य अर्थम् = 'for that purpose'); अव्यय (indeclinable)

• तेषु: among them
• तेषु: Adhikarana (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: तद् (प्रातिपदिक; सर्वनाम)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, सप्तमी (7th), बहुवचन (locative plural: 'among/in them')

• सन्तानम्: progeny/continuation
• सन्तानम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: सन्तान (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया (1st/2nd), एकवचन (masculine nominative/accusative singular)

• तावत्-मात्रम्: only that much
• तावत्-मात्रम्: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: तावत् (प्रातिपदिक/परिमाण) + मात्र (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: कर्मधारय-समास (तावत् एव मात्रम्); नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया (1st/2nd), एकवचन; विशेषण (neuter nom/acc singular; adjective to सन्तानम्)

• युगे-युगे: in every age
• युगे-युगे: Adhikarana (Time/कालाधिकरण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: युग (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: अव्यय; वीप्सा-द्वन्द्व/पुनरुक्ति (distributive repetition: 'in each yuga')

• सत्त्व-आढ्यानाम्: of the virtuous/strong-minded
• सत्त्व-आढ्यानाम्: Sambandha (Genitive relation/षष्ठी)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: सत्त्व (प्रातिपदिक) + आढ्य (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: तत्पुरुष-समास (सत्त्वेन आढ्याः); पुंलिङ्ग, षष्ठी (6th), बहुवचन; विशेषण (masculine genitive plural; adjective)

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

• लोकानाम्: of people/worlds
• लोकानाम्: Sambandha (Genitive relation/षष्ठी)
• Type: Noun
• Root: लोक (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, षष्ठी (6th), बहुवचन (masculine genitive plural)

• न: not
• न: Sambandha (Negation/निषेध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: न (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; निषेध (negation)

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

• च: and
• च: Sambandha (Connector/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: च (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; समुच्चय/अन्वय (conjunction)

• अल्प-मेधसाम्: of the dull-witted
• अल्प-मेधसाम्: Sambandha (Genitive relation/षष्ठी)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: अल्प (प्रातिपदिक) + मेधस् (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: तत्पुरुष-समास (अल्पा मेधा येषाम्); पुंलिङ्ग, षष्ठी (6th), बहुवचन; विशेषण (masculine genitive plural; adjective used substantively)

Speaker

Sūta (Lomaharṣaṇa) to the sages (deduced from Purāṇic tīrtha-māhātmya narration style in Nāgara-khaṇḍa)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Type: kshetra

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: mahābhāga (unnamed)

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A contrast tableau: on one side, luminous ‘sattvāḍhya’ people in a golden age practicing measured restraint; on the other, Kali-age figures with distracted faces and dim aura, prompting the sage’s cautionary teaching.

Characters & Entities

• Kali-yuga

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Dharma is upheld more naturally when sattva (inner virtue) is strong; in Kali-yuga, diminished discernment makes restraint harder and thus injunctions become more emphasized.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

This verse functions as a Kali-yuga framing within the Tīrthamāhātmya discourse; no single named tīrtha appears explicitly in this shloka.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

No direct rite (snāna, dāna, japa, śrāddha) is prescribed here; it sets the ethical-yuga context for subsequent rules.