Skanda Purana — Nagara Khanda, Shloka 55

Devanagari script

लक्षाष्टकप्रमाणेन तद्युगं परिकीर्तितम् । चतुःषष्टिसहस्राणि वर्षाणां परिसं ख्यया । कपिशो जायते तत्र भगवान्गरुडध्वजः

Transliteration

lakṣāṣṭakapramāṇena tadyugaṃ parikīrtitam | catuḥṣaṣṭisahasrāṇi varṣāṇāṃ parisaṃ khyayā | kapiśo jāyate tatra bhagavāngaruḍadhvajaḥ

Translation

Jenes Zeitalter wird als von der Ausdehnung von acht Lakṣas verkündet. Nach voller Zählung umfasst es vierundsechzigtausend Jahre. In jenem Zeitalter wird der selige Herr—dessen Banner Garuḍa trägt—mit fahlbrauner, affenähnlicher Färbung geboren.

Word by Word

• लक्षाष्टकप्रमाणेन: by the measure of eight lakṣas
• लक्षाष्टकप्रमाणेन: Karana (Measure/करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: लक्ष + अष्टक + प्रमाण (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, तृतीया-विभक्ति (करण), एकवचन; Instrumental singular; ‘by the measure of eight lakṣas’

• तत्: that
• तत्: Visheshana (Qualifier)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: तद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया-विभक्ति, एकवचन; Pronoun used adjectivally

• युगम्: age (yuga)
• युगम्: Karma/Pratijna (Predicate content)
• Type: Noun
• Root: युग (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया-विभक्ति, एकवचन; Accusative as object/predicate content

• परिकीर्तितम्: is proclaimed/described
• परिकीर्तितम्: Kriya (Predicative)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: परि + कीर्तित (कृदन्त; कीर्त् धातु, क्त)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया-विभक्ति, एकवचन; क्त-प्रत्ययान्त; ‘is described/declared’

• चतुःषष्टिसहस्राणि: sixty-four thousand(s)
• चतुःषष्टिसहस्राणि: Karta/Pratijna (Quantified subject/content)
• Type: Noun
• Root: चतुःषष्टि + सहस्र (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया-विभक्ति, बहुवचन; संख्यापूर्वपद-द्विगु; ‘sixty-four thousands’

• वर्षाणाम्: of years
• वर्षाणाम्: Shashthi-Sambandha (Genitive relation)
• Type: Noun
• Root: वर्ष (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, षष्ठी-विभक्ति, बहुवचन; Genitive plural (of years)

• परिसंख्यया: by enumeration / in count
• परिसंख्यया: Karana (Manner/करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: परि + संख्या (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, तृतीया-विभक्ति (करण), एकवचन; Instrumental singular; ‘by counting/according to enumeration’

• कपिशः: Kapiśa (name/epithet)
• कपिशः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: कपिश (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन; Nominative singular

• जायते: is born / arises
• जायते: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: जन् (धातु)
• Form: लट्-लकार (वर्तमान), प्रथमपुरुष, एकवचन; आत्मनेपद; Present indicative, 3rd singular (is born/appears)

• तत्र: there
• तत्र: Adhikarana (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: तत्र (अव्यय)
• Form: देशवाचक-अव्यय (locative adverb)

• भगवान्: the Blessed Lord
• भगवान्: Karta (Apposition to subject)
• Type: Noun
• Root: भगवत् (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन; Nominative singular

• गरुडध्वजः: he whose banner is Garuḍa (Viṣṇu)
• गरुडध्वजः: Karta (Apposition to subject)
• Type: Noun
• Root: गरुड + ध्वज (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन; Nominative singular; बहुव्रीहि: ‘गरुडः ध्वजः यस्य सः’ (he whose banner is Garuḍa)

Speaker

Skanda (deduced)

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: a deva addressed as 'surasattama'

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A split-scene: above, a luminous kāla-cakra with numerals/lotus petals indicating lakṣa counts; below, Viṣṇu (Garuḍa-dhvaja) appearing with tawny hue, Garuḍa emblem prominent, sages witnessing the advent.

Characters & Entities

• Skanda
• Viṣṇu (Garuḍadhvaja)
• Dvāparayuga

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

It situates divine manifestation and dharma within cosmic time, linking yuga-characteristics with the appearance of the Lord (Viṣṇu).

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

No specific tīrtha is named; the verse is part of a broader tīrtha-māhātmya discourse that includes yuga narration.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

None; the verse is cosmological and descriptive.