Skanda Purana — Mahesvara Khanda, Shloka 173

Devanagari script

महाकाल उवाच । आद्यं कृतयुगं विद्धिततस्त्रेतायुगं स्मृतम् । द्वापरं च कलिश्चेति चत्वारश्च समासतः

Transliteration

mahākāla uvāca | ādyaṃ kṛtayugaṃ viddhitatastretāyugaṃ smṛtam | dvāparaṃ ca kaliśceti catvāraśca samāsataḥ

Translation

Mahākāla sprach: „Wisse: Zuerst ist das Kṛta-Yuga; danach wird das Tretā-Yuga überliefert; dann folgen Dvāpara und Kali—dies sind die vier, kurz gefasst.“

Word by Word

• महाकालः: Mahākāla
• महाकालः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: महाकाल (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति (Nominative), एकवचन (Singular)

• उवाच: said
• उवाच: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: वच् (धातु)
• Form: लिट्-लकार (Perfect), प्रथम-पुरुष (3rd person), एकवचन (Singular), परस्मैपद

• आद्यम्: first
• आद्यम्: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: आद्य (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति (Accusative), एकवचन (Singular)

• कृतयुगम्: Kṛta-yuga
• कृतयुगम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: कृत + युग (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति (Accusative), एकवचन (Singular)

• विद्धि: know; understand
• विद्धि: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: विद् (धातु)
• Form: लोट्-लकार (Imperative), मध्यम-पुरुष (2nd person), एकवचन (Singular), परस्मैपद

• ततः: then; thereafter
• ततः: Kriya-visheshana (Adverbial/क्रियाविशेषण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: ततः (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय (Adverb) — क्रम/अनन्तरार्थक

• त्रेतायुगम्: Tretā-yuga
• त्रेतायुगम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: त्रेता + युग (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति (Accusative), एकवचन (Singular)

• स्मृतम्: is called/remembered as
• स्मृतम्: Kriya (Predicate/विधेय)
• Type: Verb
• Root: स्मृ (धातु)
• Form: क्त-प्रत्ययान्त (Past Passive Participle), नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया-विभक्ति, एकवचन; कर्मणि-भावे

• द्वापरम्: Dvāpara (yuga)
• द्वापरम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: द्वापर (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया-विभक्ति, एकवचन (Singular)

• च: and
• च: Samuccaya (Conjunctive/समुच्चय)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: च (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय (Conjunction) — समुच्चयार्थक

• कलिः: Kali (yuga)
• कलिः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: कलि (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति (Nominative), एकवचन (Singular)

• च: and
• च: Samuccaya (Conjunctive/समुच्चय)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: च (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय (Conjunction)

• इति: thus
• इति: Vacana-paryavasana (Quotation marker/इति)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: इति (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय (Quotative particle)

• चत्वारः: four
• चत्वारः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: चतुर् (संख्याप्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति (Nominative), बहुवचन (Plural)

• च: and
• च: Samuccaya (Conjunctive/समुच्चय)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: च (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय (Conjunction)

• समासतः: in brief; collectively
• समासतः: Kriya-visheshana (Adverbial/क्रियाविशेषण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: समासतः (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय (Adverb) — संक्षेपार्थक

Speaker

Mahākāla

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: Karaṃdhama

Visual Art Cues

Scene: Mahākāla enumerates the four yugas as a concise teaching; visualized as four panels or a single wheel segmented into Kṛta, Tretā, Dvāpara, Kali.

Characters & Entities

• Mahākāla
• Kṛtayuga
• Tretāyuga
• Dvāparayuga
• Kaliyuga

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Dharma is taught with awareness of time; the yugas form a sacred framework for understanding changing spiritual conditions.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

No specific site is mentioned; the focus is cosmological classification.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

None; it defines the four yugas in sequence.