Skanda Purana — Prabhasa Khanda, Shloka 141

Devanagari script

कलौ युगे महाघोरे हेतुवादरता नराः । वदिष्यंति महापापाः सर्वे पाखण्डसंस्थिताः

Transliteration

kalau yuge mahāghore hetuvādaratā narāḥ | vadiṣyaṃti mahāpāpāḥ sarve pākhaṇḍasaṃsthitāḥ

Translation

അത്യന്തം ഭീകരമായ കലിയുഗത്തിൽ ഹേതുവാദത്തിൽ (വറ്റിയ തർക്കത്തിൽ) ആസക്തരായ മനുഷ്യർ സംസാരിക്കും; മഹാപാപികൾ, എല്ലാവരും പാഖണ്ഡത്തിൽ സ്ഥാപിതരായി തങ്ങളുടെ വാദങ്ങൾ പ്രസ്താവിക്കും.

Word by Word

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

• युगे: in the age
• युगे: Adhikarana (Time/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: युग (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, सप्तमी-विभक्ति, एकवचन

• महाघोरे: very terrible
• महाघोरे: Visheshana (Adjectival modifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: महा (प्रातिपदिक) + घोर (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग/नपुंसकलिङ्ग, सप्तमी-विभक्ति, एकवचन; कर्मधारय (महान् घोरः)

• हेतुवाद-रताः: devoted to rationalistic argument
• हेतुवाद-रताः: Visheshana (Adjectival modifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: हेतुवाद (प्रातिपदिक) + रत (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, बहुवचन; सप्तमी/तत्पुरुषार्थे (हेतुवादे रताः)

• नराः: men; people
• नराः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: नर (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, बहुवचन

• वदिष्यन्ति: they will speak
• वदिष्यन्ति: Kriya (Predicate/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: वद् (धातु)
• Form: लृट्-लकार (Simple Future), प्रथमपुरुष (3rd person), बहुवचन, परस्मैपद

• महापापाः: greatly sinful
• महापापाः: Visheshana (Adjectival modifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: महा (प्रातिपदिक) + पाप (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, बहुवचन; कर्मधारय (महत् पापम् येषाम्)

• सर्वे: all
• सर्वे: Visheshana (Adjectival modifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: सर्व (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, बहुवचन; विशेषण

• पाखण्ड-संस्थिताः: established in heresy; hypocritical
• पाखण्ड-संस्थिताः: Visheshana (Adjectival modifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: पाखण्ड (प्रातिपदिक) + संस्थित (कृदन्त/प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, बहुवचन; सप्तमी-तत्पुरुष (पाखण्डे संस्थिताः)

Speaker

Śiva

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Prabhāsa-kṣetra (Somnātha)

Type: kshetra

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: Pārvatī

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A prophetic tableau of Kali-yuga: disputatious figures gesturing and arguing, contrasted with a quiet devotee approaching the Prabhāsa shrine; Śiva’s voiceover to Pārvatī frames it as warning.

Characters & Entities

• Kali-yuga
• Pākhaṇḍa (heresy/hypocrisy)

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Kali-yuga is marked by attacks on śraddhā (faith); one should guard reverence for tīrthas and dharma against cynical polemics.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

The warning is given in the Prabhāsa-kṣetra context, defending the sanctity of Somēśa/Somnatha.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

No ritual is stated; the ‘prescription’ is ethical—avoid pākhaṇḍa and preserve faith in dharma and tīrtha.