Skanda Purana — Mahesvara Khanda, Shloka 174
सत्त्वं कृतं रजस्त्रेता द्वापरं च रजस्तमः । कलिस्तमस्तु विज्ञेयं युगवृत्तं युगेषु च
sattvaṃ kṛtaṃ rajastretā dvāparaṃ ca rajastamaḥ | kalistamastu vijñeyaṃ yugavṛttaṃ yugeṣu ca
कृतं सत्त्वमयं प्रोक्तं, त्रेता रजसि संस्थिता। द्वापरं रजस्तमः मिश्रं, कलिस्तम एव निश्चितः॥ युगेषु युगवृत्तं तत्॥
Mahākāla
Listener: Karaṃdhama
Scene: A symbolic depiction of the four yugas as four landscapes colored by guṇas: luminous white-gold (sattva) for Kṛta, dynamic red (rajas) for Tretā, smoky mixed tones for Dvāpara, dark haze (tamas) for Kali; Mahākāla explains to the listener.
FAQs
Spiritual practice must account for the dominant guṇa of the age; Kali’s tamas makes dharma harder and requires suitable remedies.
No tīrtha is named; the verse is doctrinal about guṇas and yugas.
None explicitly; it sets the guṇa-based context that later supports age-appropriate practices.