Skanda Purana — Mahesvara Khanda, Shloka 86

Devanagari script

यदा यदा हि धर्मस्य ग्लानिराविर्भवेद्धरिः । तदातदावतीर्याहं विष्णोरस्य सहायिनी

Transliteration

yadā yadā hi dharmasya glānirāvirbhaveddhariḥ | tadātadāvatīryāhaṃ viṣṇorasya sahāyinī

Translation

เมื่อใดเมื่อใดที่ธรรมะเสื่อมถอยและพระหริทรงปรากฏ เมื่อนั้นเมื่อนั้นเองข้าพเจ้าก็อวตารลงมา—เป็นผู้เกื้อหนุนและสหายแห่งพระวิษณุนั้น

Word by Word

• यदा: whenever
• यदा: Temporal relation (कालसम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: यदा (अव्यय)
• Form: कालवाचक-सम्बन्धबोधक-अव्यय (relative adverb: when)

• यदा: whenever
• यदा: Temporal relation (कालसम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: यदा (अव्यय)
• Form: पुनरुक्त-कालवाचक-अव्यय (repetition for emphasis)

• हि: indeed
• हि: Sambandha/Marker (सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: हि (अव्यय)
• Form: हेतुबोधक/निश्चयार्थक-अव्यय (indeed/for)

• धर्मस्य: of dharma
• धर्मस्य: Sambandha (Genitive/षष्ठी)
• Type: Noun
• Root: धर्म (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, षष्ठी-विभक्ति (Genitive), एकवचन (Singular)

• ग्लानिः: decline, exhaustion
• ग्लानिः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: ग्लानि (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति (Nominative), एकवचन (Singular)

• आविर्भवेत्: should manifest/arise
• आविर्भवेत्: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: आविर् (उपसर्ग/अव्यय) + भू (धातु)
• Form: विधिलिङ् (Optative), परस्मैपद, प्रथम-पुरुष (3rd person), एकवचन (Singular)

• हरिः: Hari (Viṣṇu)
• हरिः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: हरि (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति (Nominative), एकवचन (Singular)

• तदा: then
• तदा: Temporal relation (कालसम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: तदा (अव्यय)
• Form: कालवाचक-अव्यय (correlative adverb: then)

• तदा: at that time
• तदा: Temporal relation (कालसम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: तदा (अव्यय)
• Form: पुनरुक्त-कालवाचक-अव्यय (then, at that time)

• अवतीर्य: having descended
• अवतीर्य: Purvakala (Prior action/पूर्वकाल)
• Type: Verb
• Root: अव + तॄ (धातु)
• Form: क्त्वान्त-अव्यय (absolutive/gerund), ‘having descended’

• अहम्: I
• अहम्: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: अस्मद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: सर्वनाम, त्रिलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति (Nominative), एकवचन (Singular)

• विष्णोः: of Viṣṇu
• विष्णोः: Sambandha (Genitive/षष्ठी)
• Type: Noun
• Root: विष्णु (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, षष्ठी-विभक्ति (Genitive), एकवचन (Singular)

• अस्य: of him/this (one)
• अस्य: Sambandha (Genitive/षष्ठी)
• Type: Noun
• Root: इदम् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: सर्वनाम, पुंलिङ्ग, षष्ठी-विभक्ति (Genitive), एकवचन (Singular)

• सहायिनी: helper, companion (female)
• सहायिनी: Karta (Subject-complement/कर्ता-विशेषण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: सहायिनी (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति (Nominative), एकवचन (Singular)

Speaker

Ekānaṃśā (Yogamāyā), declaring her avatāra-role alongside Viṣṇu

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: Vṛkodara (Bhīma)

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A doctrinal revelation: as Hari descends when dharma declines, the divine feminine also descends as his helper—suggesting paired radiance and coordinated mission.

Characters & Entities

• Dharma
• Hari
• Viṣṇu

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Dharma-restoration is a coordinated divine act: when Viṣṇu manifests, the divine feminine power also descends to assist the cosmic mission.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

No tīrtha is named; the verse is theological, explaining avatāra purpose.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

None explicitly; it supports devotional contemplation of avatāra (avatāra-smaraṇa) as a dharmic practice.