Skanda Purana — Nagara Khanda, Shloka 9

Devanagari script

आयुष्यं शंकरस्यापि यत्प्रमाणं तथा हरेः । ब्रह्मणोऽपि समाचक्ष्व परं कौतूहलं हि नः

Transliteration

āyuṣyaṃ śaṃkarasyāpi yatpramāṇaṃ tathā hareḥ | brahmaṇo'pi samācakṣva paraṃ kautūhalaṃ hi naḥ

Translation

Nenne uns das Maß der Lebensspanne Śaṅkaras (Śivas), ebenso die Haris (Viṣṇus) und auch die Brahmās—denn uns erfüllt die tiefste Neugier.

Word by Word

• आयुष्यम्: lifespan
• आयुष्यम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: आयुष्य (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति, एकवचन

• शंकरस्य: of Śaṅkara
• शंकरस्य: Sambandha (Genitive/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: शंकर (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, षष्ठी-विभक्ति, एकवचन

• अपि: also
• अपि: Sambandha (Connector/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: अपि (अव्यय)
• Form: समुच्चय/अपेक्षार्थक-अव्यय (also/even)

• यत्: which/that
• यत्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: यद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया, एकवचन; सम्बन्धसूचक

• प्रमाणम्: measure/extent
• प्रमाणम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: प्रमाण (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया, एकवचन

• तथा: likewise
• तथा: Sambandha (Connector/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: तथा (अव्यय)
• Form: तुल्यार्थक-अव्यय (likewise/so)

• हरेः: of Hari (Viṣṇu)
• हरेः: Sambandha (Genitive/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: हरि (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, षष्ठी-विभक्ति, एकवचन

• ब्रह्मणः: of Brahmā
• ब्रह्मणः: Sambandha (Genitive/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: ब्रह्मन् (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, षष्ठी-विभक्ति, एकवचन

• अपि: also
• अपि: Sambandha (Connector/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: अपि (अव्यय)
• Form: समुच्चयार्थक-अव्यय (also)

• समाचक्ष्व: tell/explain
• समाचक्ष्व: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: सम्+आ+चक्ष् (धातु)
• Form: लोट्-लकार (Imperative), मध्यम-पुरुष, एकवचन; परस्मैपद

• परम्: great/utmost
• परम्: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: पर (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया, एकवचन; विशेषण

• कौतूहलम्: curiosity
• कौतूहलम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: कौतूहल (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया, एकवचन

• हि: indeed
• हि: Sambandha (Connector/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: हि (अव्यय)
• Form: निश्चयार्थक/हेतौ-अव्यय (indeed/for)

• नः: our/to us
• नः: Sambandha (Genitive/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: अस्मद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: षष्ठी/चतुर्थी-विभक्ति, बहुवचन; एनक्लिटिक

Speaker

Sages/Brāhmaṇas (listeners addressing Sūta)

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: Sūta (implied)

Visual Art Cues

Scene: Close-up of sages asking about the lifespans of Śaṅkara, Hari, and Brahmā; above them, a faint symbolic wheel of time (kāla-cakra) or layered cosmic spheres to suggest the scale of the question.

Characters & Entities

• Śaṅkara (Śiva)
• Hari (Viṣṇu)
• Brahmā

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Sacred inquiry (jijñāsā) into cosmic order and divine measures is upheld as a legitimate pursuit within Purāṇic dharma.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

This verse introduces a cosmological topic within the Tīrthamāhātmya setting; it does not itself name a particular tīrtha.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

None—this is a question requesting doctrinal explanation about divine lifespans.