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

纵使卑微而罪心深重之人，若在趋往奎师奴城（德瓦拉迦）途中而逝，亦永不染污。即便人类受迦利时代所生极猛诸过所逼，然以虔敬得见奎师那圣颜者，终不为垢染于任何时刻。

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.