Skanda Purana — Brahma Khanda, Shloka 80

Devanagari script

अर्धोदयसमः कालो न भूतो न भविष्यति । एवं महोदयः कालो धर्मकालः प्रकीर्तितः

Transliteration

ardhodayasamaḥ kālo na bhūto na bhaviṣyati | evaṃ mahodayaḥ kālo dharmakālaḥ prakīrtitaḥ

Translation

Eine Zeit, die dem Ardhodaya gleichkäme, hat es zuvor nicht gegeben und wird es auch künftig nicht geben. Darum wird diese Mahodaya-Zeit als die höchste Zeit des Dharma gepriesen.

Word by Word

• अर्धोदयसमः: equal to the Ardhodaya (time)
• अर्धोदयसमः: Viśeṣaṇa (Adjectival qualifier)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: अर्धोदय + सम (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), एकवचन; समासः—षष्ठी-तत्पुरुषः (अर्धोदयस्य समः)

• कालः: time/period
• कालः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: काल (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), एकवचन

• न: not
• न: Negation
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: न (अव्यय)
• Form: निषेध-अव्यय (negation particle)

• भूतः: (has) been; past
• भूतः: Viśeṣaṇa (Predicate adjective)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: भूत (कृदन्त/प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन; भूत (भू-धातोः क्त-प्रत्ययान्तः), ‘having been/past’

• न: not
• न: Negation
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: न (अव्यय)
• Form: निषेध-अव्यय

• भविष्यति: will be
• भविष्यति: Kriya (Predicate verb)
• Type: Verb
• Root: भू (धातु)
• Form: लृट्-लकार (Simple Future), प्रथमपुरुष (3rd person), एकवचन; परस्मैपद

• एवम्: thus
• एवम्: Adverbial modifier
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: एवम् (अव्यय)
• Form: रीति/प्रकार-अव्यय (adverb of manner)

• महोदयः: great-rising; Mahodaya
• महोदयः: Viśeṣaṇa (Adjectival qualifier)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: महोदय (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन; समासः—कर्मधारयः (महान् उदयः यस्य/मह उदयः)

• कालः: time/period
• कालः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: काल (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन

• धर्मकालः: time for dharma; auspicious religious time
• धर्मकालः: Predicate nominative (समानााधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: धर्म + काल (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन; समासः—तत्पुरुषः (धर्मस्य कालः)

• प्रकीर्तितः: is proclaimed/declared
• प्रकीर्तितः: Kriya (Predicate; passive)
• Type: Verb
• Root: प्र + कीर्त् (धातु)
• Form: कृदन्तः—क्त-प्रत्ययान्त (past passive participle); पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन; कर्मणि-भावः ‘is proclaimed’

Speaker

Skanda (deduced from Setukhaṇḍa Māhātmya narration context)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Setutīrtha (Setubandha)

Type: kshetra

Visual Art Cues

Scene: At Setu’s seashore tīrtha, pilgrims gather at dawn under a rare celestial conjunction; priests proclaim ‘Mahodaya’ as the supreme dharma-time while waves and conch-sounds frame the liminal horizon.

Characters & Entities

• Ardhodaya
• Mahodaya
• Rāmasetu

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Certain rare time-windows are exalted as uniquely powerful for dharma, and should be used for pilgrimage and meritorious acts.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

Within this adhyāya’s context, the teaching is directed toward dharma at Rāmasetu.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

To treat Mahodaya/Ardhodaya-like conjunctions as prime dharmakāla for religious acts.