Skanda Purana — Prabhasa Khanda, Shloka 7

Devanagari script

हीनवर्णोऽपि पापात्मा मृतः कृष्णुपुरीं प्रति । कलि कालकृतैर्दोषैरत्युग्रैरपि मानवः । भक्त्या कृष्णमुखं दृष्ट्वा न लिप्यति कदाचन

Transliteration

hīnavarṇo'pi pāpātmā mṛtaḥ kṛṣṇupurīṃ prati | kali kālakṛtairdoṣairatyugrairapi mānavaḥ | bhaktyā kṛṣṇamukhaṃ dṛṣṭvā na lipyati kadācana

Translation

Dẫu là kẻ địa vị thấp, tâm đầy tội lỗi, nếu chết trên đường hướng về Kṛṣṇupurī (Dvārakā) thì cũng chẳng bao giờ bị ô nhiễm. Dù con người có thể bị những lỗi lầm dữ dội do thời Kali tạo ra bủa vây, nhưng nhờ lòng sùng kính, đã được chiêm ngưỡng dung nhan Kṛṣṇa, người ấy không hề bị vấy bẩn vào bất cứ lúc nào.

Word by Word

• hīna-varṇaḥ: of low status/low caste (lit. of inferior varṇa)
• hīna-varṇaḥ: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: hīna (प्रातिपदिक) + varṇa (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), एकवचन; विशेषण (qualifier)

• api: even/though
• api: Sambandha/Discourse particle
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: api (अव्यय)
• Form: निपात (particle), concessive 'even/though'

• pāpa-ātmā: a sinful person
• pāpa-ātmā: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: pāpa (प्रातिपदिक) + ātman (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), एकवचन; षष्ठी-तत्पुरुष (pāpasya ātmā)

• mṛtaḥ: dead / having died
• mṛtaḥ: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: mṛ (धातु) + kta (कृत् प्रत्यय)
• Form: भूतकर्मणि कृदन्त (past passive participle/क्त), पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन; विशेषण

• kṛṣṇu-purīm: to Kṛṣṇu’s city (Dvārikā)
• kṛṣṇu-purīm: Karma (Object/कर्म) / Gati-karman with prati
• Type: Noun
• Root: kṛṣṇu (प्रातिपदिक) + purī (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd/Accusative), एकवचन; षष्ठी-तत्पुरुष (kṛṣṇoḥ purī)

• prati: towards
• prati: Adhikarana/Direction marker
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: prati (अव्यय)
• Form: उपसर्ग/अव्यय (preposition), direction 'towards'

• kali: Kali (the age of Kali)
• kali: Adhikarana (Context/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: kali (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), एकवचन; कालविशेष (name of age)

• kāla-kṛtaiḥ: caused by time
• kāla-kṛtaiḥ: Karana (Instrument/करण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: kāla (प्रातिपदिक) + kṛ (धातु) + kta (कृत्)
• Form: तृतीया (3rd/Instrumental), बहुवचन; नपुंसकलिङ्ग/पुंलिङ्ग-समासान्त-रूप (contextual), क्त-कृदन्त; विशेषण; षष्ठी-तत्पुरुष (kālasya kṛta)

• doṣaiḥ: by faults/defects
• doṣaiḥ: Karana (Instrument/करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: doṣa (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, तृतीया (3rd/Instrumental), बहुवचन

• ati-ugraiḥ: by extremely fierce (faults)
• ati-ugraiḥ: Karana (Instrument/करण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: ati (अव्यय/उपसर्ग) + ugra (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, तृतीया (3rd/Instrumental), बहुवचन; विशेषण; उपसर्गपूर्वक (intensified)

• api: even
• api: Sambandha/Discourse particle
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: api (अव्यय)
• Form: निपात (particle), concessive 'even'

• mānavaḥ: a human being
• mānavaḥ: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: mānava (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), एकवचन

• bhaktyā: with devotion
• bhaktyā: Karana (Instrument/करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: bhakti (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, तृतीया (3rd/Instrumental), एकवचन

• kṛṣṇa-mukham: Kṛṣṇa’s face
• kṛṣṇa-mukham: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: kṛṣṇa (प्रातिपदिक) + mukha (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd/Accusative), एकवचन; षष्ठी-तत्पुरुष (kṛṣṇasya mukham)

• dṛṣṭvā: having seen
• dṛṣṭvā: Purvakala-kriya (पूर्वकालक्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: dṛś (धातु) + ktvā (कृत् प्रत्यय)
• Form: क्त्वान्त अव्ययकृदन्त (gerund/absolutive), 'having seen'

• na: not
• na: Negation marker
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: na (अव्यय)
• Form: निषेध (negation particle)

• lipyati: is tainted / is smeared (with sin)
• lipyati: Kriya (Predicate/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: lip (धातु)
• Form: लट् (Present), प्रथमपुरुष (3rd person), एकवचन; आत्मनेपद; कर्मणि/भावे प्रयोग-सामर्थ्य (gets tainted)

• kadācana: ever/at any time
• kadācana: Adverbial (कालाधिकरण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: kadācana (अव्यय)
• Form: कालवाचक अव्यय (temporal adverb)

Speaker

Prahlāda

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Kṛṣṇupurī (Dvārakā)

Type: kshetra

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A frail pilgrim of humble appearance, nearing death on the road to Dvārakā, is lifted by companions; in a visionary moment Kṛṣṇa’s compassionate face appears, washing away the soot of Kali-doṣas like rain cleansing dust.

Characters & Entities

• Prahlāda
• Kṛṣṇa
• Kṛṣṇupurī (Dvārakā)
• Kali-yuga

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Bhakti and Kṛṣṇa-darśana are presented as purifying beyond social status and beyond the harsh defects of Kali-yuga.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

Kṛṣṇupurī—Dvārakā, the city protected and sanctified by Kṛṣṇa.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

Seek Kṛṣṇa’s darśana with devotion in Dvārakā; the verse emphasizes devotional seeing as a purifier.