Skanda Purana — Prabhasa Khanda, Shloka 78

Devanagari script

कलिकाल कृतैर्दोषैरत्युग्रैरपि मानवः । कलौ कृष्णमुखं दृष्ट्वा लिप्यते न कदाचन

Transliteration

kalikāla kṛtairdoṣairatyugrairapi mānavaḥ | kalau kṛṣṇamukhaṃ dṛṣṭvā lipyate na kadācana

Translation

اگرچہ انسان کالی یگ کے پیدا کردہ نہایت سخت عیوب سے بھی مبتلا ہو، مگر کالی میں کرشن کا چہرہ دیکھ لے تو وہ کبھی آلودہ نہیں ہوتا۔

Word by Word

• कलिकाल: the time of Kali (Kali age)
• कलिकाल: Sambandha (Genitive relation within compound)
• Type: Noun
• Root: कलि (प्रातिपदिक) + काल (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, तृतीया, एकवचन (पाठानुसारं ‘कलिकालकृतैः’ इत्यत्र पूर्वपद); षष्ठी-तत्पुरुष (कलियुगस्य कालः)

• कृतैः: made/produced
• कृतैः: Visheshana (Qualifier)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: कृ (धातु) → कृत (कृदन्त, क्त-प्रत्यय)
• Form: भूतकर्मणि कृदन्त, पुंलिङ्ग/नपुंसकलिङ्ग, तृतीया, बहुवचन; विशेषण (qualifying दोषैः)

• दोषैः: by faults/defects
• दोषैः: Karana (Instrument/Means/करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: दोष (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, तृतीया, बहुवचन

• अति-उग्रैः: very fierce
• अति-उग्रैः: Visheshana (Qualifier)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: अति (उपसर्ग/अव्यय) + उग्र (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: अव्ययीभाव-समास (अत्यन्त-उग्र); पुंलिङ्ग, तृतीया, बहुवचन; विशेषण (qualifying दोषैः)

• अपि: even
• अपि: Sambandha (Particle)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: अपि (अव्यय)
• Form: अपवाद/समुच्चयार्थक-अव्यय (even/also)

• मानवः: a man/person
• मानवः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: मानव (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन

• कलौ: in Kali (age)
• कलौ: Adhikarana (Locative/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: कलि (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, सप्तमी, एकवचन; Locative singular

• कृष्णमुखम्: Kṛṣṇa’s face
• कृष्णमुखम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: कृष्ण (प्रातिपदिक) + मुख (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया, एकवचन; कर्मधारय (कृष्णं मुखं यस्य/कृष्णस्य मुखम्—contextually ‘Kṛṣṇa’s face’)

• दृष्ट्वा: having seen
• दृष्ट्वा: Sambandha (Prior action)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: दृश् (धातु) → दृष्ट्वा (क्त्वा-प्रत्यय)
• Form: क्त्वान्त-अव्यय (absolutive/gerund)

• लिप्यते: is tainted/defiled
• लिप्यते: Kriya (Action)
• Type: Verb
• Root: लिप् (धातु)
• Form: लट्-लकार (present), प्रथमपुरुष, एकवचन; आत्मनेपद; कर्मणि प्रयोगः (is tainted)

• न: not
• न: Sambandha (Negation)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: न (अव्यय)
• Form: निषेधार्थक-अव्यय (negation)

• कदाचन: ever/at any time
• कदाचन: Sambandha (Temporal adverb)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: कदाचन (अव्यय)
• Form: कालवाचक-अव्यय (ever/at any time)

Speaker

Sūta (Lomaharṣaṇa) to the sages (deduced)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Dvārakā (Kṛṣṇa-darśana)

Type: kshetra

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: General audience within māhātmya discourse

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A person shadowed by dark ‘Kali’ motifs approaches Kṛṣṇa; upon seeing His face, the shadows dissolve, leaving a clear, radiant aura.

Characters & Entities

• Kali-yuga
• Kṛṣṇa

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

In Kali-yuga, darśana of Bhagavān is a direct purifier that neutralizes the age’s corrupting influence.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

Implicitly Dvārakā/Kṛṣṇapurī, where Kṛṣṇa’s presence and darśana are central to the Māhātmya.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

Darśana—seeing Kṛṣṇa (especially in the sacred setting of Kṛṣṇa’s city).