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

Hễ khi nào dharma suy vi và Hari (Viṣṇu) hiển lộ, thì ngay lúc ấy ta cũng giáng thế, trở thành người trợ giúp và bạn đồng hành của đức Viṣṇu ấy.

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.