Skanda Purana — Prabhasa Khanda, Shloka 86

Devanagari script

ततो व्यतीते कल्कौ तु सामात्ये सहसैनिके । नृपेष्वपि च नष्टेषु तदात्वप्रहराः प्रजाः

Transliteration

tato vyatīte kalkau tu sāmātye sahasainike | nṛpeṣvapi ca naṣṭeṣu tadātvapraharāḥ prajāḥ

Translation

അതിനുശേഷം, കല്കി മന്ത്രിമാരും സൈന്യവും സഹിതം അസ്തമിച്ചപ്പോൾ, രാജാക്കന്മാരും നശിച്ചപ്പോൾ, ആ സമയത്ത് ജനങ്ങൾ പരസ്പരം പ്രഹരിക്കുന്ന ഹിംസകരായി മാറും.

Word by Word

• tataḥ: thereafter
• tataḥ: Kāla (Time/काल)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: tataḥ (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; तस्मात्/ततः (thereafter)

• vyatīte: when (he) has passed away
• vyatīte: Adhikarana (Locative absolute/सप्तमी-सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: vi-ati-√i (कृदन्त, √i)
• Form: सप्तमी-एकवचन, पुंलिङ्ग/नपुंसकलिङ्ग; भूतकृदन्त (past participle) ‘व्यतीत’ used in locative absolute

• kalkau: when Kalki (is gone)
• kalkau: Adhikarana (Locative absolute/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: kalki (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, सप्तमी-विभक्ति, एकवचन; (कौ/औ-रूपः: वैदिक/पुराणिक पाठभेदेन ‘कल्कौ’ = ‘कल्कौ (कल्कौ सति)’ locative)

• tu: then/indeed
• tu: Discourse (Particle/निपात)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: tu (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; निपात

• sa-amātye: together with ministers
• sa-amātye: Adhikarana (Locative absolute/अधिकरण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: sa (अव्यय ‘सह’) + amātya (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग/नपुंसकलिङ्ग, सप्तमी-विभक्ति, एकवचन; अव्ययीभावः (अमात्यैः सह)

• saha-sainike: together with soldiers
• saha-sainike: Adhikarana (Locative absolute/अधिकरण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: saha (अव्यय) + sainika (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग/नपुंसकलिङ्ग, सप्तमी-विभक्ति, एकवचन; अव्ययीभावः (सैनिकैः सह)

• nṛpeṣu: when the kings
• nṛpeṣu: Adhikarana (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: nṛpa (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, सप्तमी-विभक्ति (अधिकरण), बहुवचन

• api: also/even
• api: Discourse (Particle/निपात)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: api (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; अपि (also/even)

• ca: and
• ca: Discourse (Conjunction/समुच्चय)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: ca (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; समुच्चयार्थक

• naṣṭeṣu: having perished/vanished
• naṣṭeṣu: Adhikarana (Locative absolute/अधिकरण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: naṣṭa (कृदन्त, √naś)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, सप्तमी-विभक्ति, बहुवचन; भूतकृदन्त (past participle)

• tadātva-praharāḥ: belonging to that time/then-current
• tadātva-praharāḥ: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: tadātva (प्रातिपदिक) + prahara (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, बहुवचन; समासः तत्पुरुषः (तदात्वे प्रहरः/प्रहराः = तदानीन्तनाः)

• prajāḥ: the people
• prajāḥ: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: prajā (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, बहुवचन

Speaker

Īśvara (Śiva)

Visual Art Cues

Scene: After the avatāra’s departure, a bleak landscape: abandoned banners, broken weapons, empty thrones; scattered people in panic turning against each other.

Characters & Entities

• Kalki
• nṛpa (kings)

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

When righteous governance collapses, society turns upon itself; dharma requires both inner restraint and just leadership.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

The immediate verse is prophetic rather than site-specific, but it belongs to the Prabhāsakṣetra Māhātmya narrative context.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

None is stated; it describes the aftermath of yuga-ending events.