Skanda Purana — Prabhasa Khanda, Shloka 17

Devanagari script

ततस्त्रेतायुगे जातस्त्रिपादो धर्म एव च । चिरायुषो नरास्तस्मिन्रक्तवर्णो जनार्दनः

Transliteration

tatastretāyuge jātastripādo dharma eva ca | cirāyuṣo narāstasminraktavarṇo janārdanaḥ

Translation

അതിനുശേഷം ത്രേതായുഗത്തിൽ ധർമ്മം ത്രിപാദമായി (മൂന്നു പാദങ്ങളിൽ സ്ഥാപിതമായി) ഉദ്ഭവിക്കുന്നു. ആ യുഗത്തിൽ മനുഷ്യർ ദീർഘായുസ്സുള്ളവർ; ജനാർദ്ദനൻ (വിഷ്ണു) രക്തവർണ്ണനായി ഇരിക്കുന്നു.

Word by Word

• ततः: thereafter
• ततः: Sambandha (Relation/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: ततः (अव्यय)
• Form: प्रत्यवस्थान/अनन्तरार्थक-अव्यय (adverb: then/thereafter)

• त्रेतायुगे: in the Tretā age
• त्रेतायुगे: Adhikarana (Time/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: त्रेता + युग (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, सप्तमी (7th), एकवचन; षष्ठी-तत्पुरुषः (Neuter, Locative singular; in the Tretā age)

• जातः: arisen/born
• जातः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Verb
• Root: जन् (धातु)
• Form: क्त-प्रत्ययान्त कृदन्त (past passive participle), पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st), एकवचन (PPP; Masculine, Nominative singular)

• त्रिपादः: three-footed (having three parts)
• त्रिपादः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: त्रि + पाद (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st), एकवचन; विशेषण (Masculine, Nominative singular; adjective)

• धर्मः: dharma
• धर्मः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: धर्म (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st), एकवचन (Masculine, Nominative singular)

• एव: indeed
• एव: Sambandha (Relation/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: एव (अव्यय)
• Form: अवधारणार्थक-अव्यय (emphatic particle: indeed/only)

• च: and
• च: Sambandha (Relation/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: च (अव्यय)
• Form: समुच्चयार्थक-अव्यय (conjunction)

• चिरायुषः: long-lived
• चिरायुषः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: चिर + आयुस् (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st), बहुवचन; विशेषण (Masculine, Nominative plural; adjective)

• नराः: men, people
• नराः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: नर (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st), बहुवचन (Masculine, Nominative plural)

• तस्मिन्: in that (age)
• तस्मिन्: Adhikarana (Time/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: तद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुं/नपुंसक, सप्तमी (7th), एकवचन (Pronoun; Locative singular)

• रक्तवर्णः: red-colored
• रक्तवर्णः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: रक्त + वर्ण (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st), एकवचन; विशेषण (Masculine, Nominative singular; adjective)

• जनार्दनः: Janārdana (Viṣṇu)
• जनार्दनः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: जनार्दन (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st), एकवचन; विशेष्य/नाम (Masculine, Nominative singular; proper name)

Speaker

Skanda (deduced from Prabhāsa-khaṇḍa narrative style; exact speaker not stated in snippet)

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: Indra

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A transition into Tretā-yuga: dharma depicted as a bull with three legs firm; Viṣṇu/Janārdana shown with a red aura or garments; humans depicted vigorous and long-lived; sacrificial fires hinted in the background.

Characters & Entities

• Tretā-yuga
• Dharma
• Janārdana (Viṣṇu)

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Dharma is stronger in earlier ages; cultivating righteousness aligns life with cosmic order.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

This verse is cosmological (yuga-description) within the Arbuda-khaṇḍa context; no single tīrtha is directly praised in this line.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

No specific rite is prescribed here; it characterizes the age and the form of Dharma and Viṣṇu.