Skanda Purana — Nagara Khanda, Shloka 13

Devanagari script

त्रिंशन्मुहूर्तमुद्दिष्टमहोरात्रं मनीषिभिः । मासस्त्रिंशदहोरात्रैर्द्वौ मासावृतुसंज्ञितः

Transliteration

triṃśanmuhūrtamuddiṣṭamahorātraṃ manīṣibhiḥ | māsastriṃśadahorātrairdvau māsāvṛtusaṃjñitaḥ

Translation

Die Weisen haben gelehrt, dass ein ahorātra — Tag und Nacht — aus dreißig muhūrtas besteht. Ein Monat umfasst dreißig ahorātras; und zwei Monate heißen eine Jahreszeit (ṛtu).

Word by Word

• triṃśat: thirty
• triṃśat: Viśeṣaṇa (Qualifier)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: triṃśat (संख्या-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: संख्यावाचक-विशेषणम्; अव्ययवत् प्रयोगः, नपुंसकलिङ्ग-द्वितीया-एकवचनस्य (muhūrtam) विशेषणम्

• muhūrtam: muhūrtas
• muhūrtam: Karma (Object; predicate complement)
• Type: Noun
• Root: muhūrta (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd/कर्म), एकवचन

• uddiṣṭam: is stated/defined
• uddiṣṭam: Viśeṣaṇa (Predicate adjective)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: ud-√diś (धातु) + ta (कृत्-प्रत्यय)
• Form: भूतकृदन्त (क्त), नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया, एकवचन; विधेय-विशेषणम् (predicative: ‘is stated’)

• ahorātram: a day-and-night (24 hours)
• ahorātram: Karta (Subject)
• Type: Noun
• Root: ahaḥ (प्रातिपदिक) + rātra (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: द्वन्द्व-समास (ahaḥ + rātra); नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/कर्ता), एकवचन

• manīṣibhiḥ: by the sages/wise ones
• manīṣibhiḥ: Karana/Agent-instrument (By whom)
• Type: Noun
• Root: manīṣin (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, तृतीया (3rd/करण), बहुवचन

• māsaḥ: a month
• māsaḥ: Karta (Subject)
• Type: Noun
• Root: māsa (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/कर्ता), एकवचन

• triṃśat: thirty
• triṃśat: Viśeṣaṇa (Qualifier)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: triṃśat (संख्या-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: संख्यावाचक-विशेषणम्; अव्ययवत् प्रयोगः, नपुंसकलिङ्ग-तृतीया-बहुवचनस्य (ahorātraiḥ) विशेषणम्

• ahorātraiḥ: by (means of) day-nights
• ahorātraiḥ: Karana (Instrument/measure)
• Type: Noun
• Root: ahaḥ (प्रातिपदिक) + rātra (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: द्वन्द्व-समास; नपुंसकलिङ्ग, तृतीया (3rd/करण), बहुवचन

• dvau: two
• dvau: Viśeṣaṇa (Qualifier)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: dvi (संख्या-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: संख्यावाचक-विशेषणम्; पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st), द्विवचन

• māsau: two months
• māsau: Karta (Subject)
• Type: Noun
• Root: māsa (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/कर्ता), द्विवचन

• ṛtu-saṃjñitaḥ: is called ‘ṛtu’ (season)
• ṛtu-saṃjñitaḥ: Viśeṣaṇa (Predicate adjective)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: ṛtu (प्रातिपदिक) + saṃjñita (√jñā + kta, प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: तत्पुरुष-समास (ṛtu-नामकः); क्त-प्रत्ययान्त-विशेषणम्; पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन (māsaḥ इत्यस्य विधेयः)

Speaker

Sūta

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A cosmic calendar wheel shows thirty muhūrtas in a day, thirty days in a month, and two months forming a season; pilgrims mark their travel and bathing vows on the wheel.

Characters & Entities

• ahorātra
• muhūrta
• māsa
• ṛtu

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Sacred time is ordered into coherent cycles—day, month, season—supporting disciplined religious life and pilgrimage observances.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

No specific location is named in this verse; it establishes calendar structure used across tīrtha and vrata narratives.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

None directly; it provides calendrical foundations relevant for determining ritual periods and observances.