Skanda Purana — Prabhasa Khanda, Shloka 35

Devanagari script

त्रिंशत्कलो मुहूर्तः स्याद्दिनं पंचदशैस्तु तैः । दिनमाना निशा ज्ञेया अहोरात्रं तयोर्भवेत्

Transliteration

triṃśatkalo muhūrtaḥ syāddinaṃ paṃcadaśaistu taiḥ | dinamānā niśā jñeyā ahorātraṃ tayorbhavet

Translation

ثلاثون «كلا» (kalā) تكون «موهورتا» (muhūrta)، وبخمس عشرة موهورتا يتكوّن اليوم. والليل يُعرَف أنه مساوٍ لليوم في المقدار؛ ومنهما يتكوّن «أهوراترا» (ahorātra) أي اليوم والليلة كاملين.

Word by Word

• triṃśat: thirty
• triṃśat: Viśeṣaṇa (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: triṃśat (संख्या-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: संख्या-विशेषणम्; अव्ययवत् (indeclinable numeral used adjectivally)

• kalaḥ: a kalā (unit of time)
• kalaḥ: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: kala (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), एकवचन

• muhūrtaḥ: a muhūrta
• muhūrtaḥ: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: muhūrta (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), एकवचन

• syāt: would be/is to be
• syāt: Kriyā (Predicate/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: as (धातु)
• Form: विधिलिङ् (Optative), प्रथमपुरुष (3rd), एकवचन; परस्मैपद

• dinam: a day
• dinam: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: dina (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया (1st/2nd Nom/Acc), एकवचन

• paṃcadaśaiḥ: by fifteen
• paṃcadaśaiḥ: Karaṇa (Instrument/करण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: paṃcadaśan (संख्या-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: संख्या-विशेषणम्; तृतीया (3rd/Instrumental), बहुवचन

• tu: but/indeed
• tu: Sambandha (Discourse particle/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: tu (अव्यय)
• Form: निपात (particle), विरोध/विशेषार्थक

• taiḥ: by those (units)
• taiḥ: Karaṇa (Instrument/करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: tad (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुं/नपुंसक, तृतीया (3rd/Instrumental), बहुवचन

• dina-mānā: having the measure of a day
• dina-mānā: Viśeṣaṇa (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: dina (प्रातिपदिक) + māna (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: तत्पुरुष-समास (दिनस्य मानम्); स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), एकवचन

• niśā: night
• niśā: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: niśā (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), एकवचन

• jñeyā: is to be known/should be understood
• jñeyā: Kriyā (Predicate/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: jñā (धातु)
• Form: कृदन्त (भाव्य/कर्तव्यतार्थक), -य-प्रत्ययान्त (gerundive); स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), एकवचन

• ahaḥ-rātram: day-and-night (a full day)
• ahaḥ-rātram: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: ahaḥ (प्रातिपदिक) + rātra (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: द्वन्द्व-समास (अहश्च रात्रिश्च); नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया (1st/2nd Nom/Acc), एकवचन

• tayoḥ: of those two (day and night)
• tayoḥ: Sambandha (Genitive relation/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: tad (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुं/नपुंसक, षष्ठी (6th/Genitive), द्विवचन

• bhavet: would be/becomes
• bhavet: Kriyā (Predicate/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: bhū (धातु)
• Form: विधिलिङ् (Optative), प्रथमपुरुष (3rd), एकवचन; परस्मैपद

Speaker

Unspecified (Prabhāsakṣetramāhātmya narrator)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Prabhāsa-kṣetra

Type: kshetra

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: Devasenā

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A circular mandala-clock: 30 kalās forming a muhūrta, 15 muhūrtas forming day; sun and moon balanced on opposite arcs, with pilgrims performing sandhyā at twilight.

Characters & Entities

• Kalā
• Muhūrta
• Ahorātra
• Kāla

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

The disciplined structure of time supports dharma—ritual timing, vows, and pilgrimage observances align with sacred measures.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

The setting remains Prabhāsa kṣetra’s māhātmya; this verse itself is about time measurement.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

None explicitly, though muhūrta-based timing underlies vrata and pūjā scheduling.