Skanda Purana — Nagara Khanda, Shloka 57

Devanagari script

ततोऽन्यैः समतिक्रांतैर्वार्धक्यं पञ्चभिः शतैः । तत्र सत्यानृता लोका देवा भूपास्तथा परे

Transliteration

tato'nyaiḥ samatikrāṃtairvārdhakyaṃ pañcabhiḥ śataiḥ | tatra satyānṛtā lokā devā bhūpāstathā pare

Translation

Dann, nachdem noch eine weitere Spanne verstrichen ist, tritt das Alter mit fünfhundert Jahren ein. In jenem Zeitalter sind die Wesen—Götter, Könige und andere—eine Mischung aus Wahrheit und Unwahrheit.

Word by Word

• ततः: thereafter
• ततः: Sambandha (Discourse link/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: ततः (अव्यय)
• Form: अपादान/क्रमवाचक अव्यय (from there/thereafter)

• अन्यैः: by other (years)
• अन्यैः: Karaṇa (Instrument/करण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: अन्य (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, तृतीया (3rd), बहुवचन; विशेषण (qualifying an implied ‘वर्षैः’)

• समतिक्रान्तैः: having elapsed
• समतिक्रान्तैः: Karaṇa (Instrument/करण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: सम् + अति + क्रम् (धातु) → समतिक्रान्त (कृदन्त)
• Form: भूतकृदन्त, पुंलिङ्ग, तृतीया (3rd), बहुवचन; ‘having passed/elapsed’

• वार्धक्यम्: old age
• वार्धक्यम्: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: वार्धक्य (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st), एकवचन

• पञ्चभिः: by five
• पञ्चभिः: Viśeṣaṇa (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: पञ्च (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, तृतीया (3rd), बहुवचन; संख्याविशेषण

• शतैः: hundreds
• शतैः: Karaṇa (Instrument/Measure/करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: शत (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, तृतीया (3rd), बहुवचन

• तत्र: there
• तत्र: Adhikaraṇa (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: तत्र (अव्यय)
• Form: देश/प्रसङ्गवाचक अव्यय

• सत्यानृताः: truthful and untruthful
• सत्यानृताः: Viśeṣaṇa (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: सत्य + अनृत (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: इतरेतर-द्वन्द्व (सत्याश्च अनृताश्च); पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st), बहुवचन; विशेषण (qualifying ‘लोकाः’)

• लोकाः: people/worlds
• लोकाः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: लोक (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st), बहुवचन

• देवाः: gods
• देवाः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: देव (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st), बहुवचन

• भूपाः: kings
• भूपाः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: भूप (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st), बहुवचन

• तथा: and likewise
• तथा: Sambandha (Connector/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: तथा (अव्यय)
• Form: प्रकार/समुच्चयवाचक अव्यय (thus/also)

• परे: others
• परे: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: पर (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st), बहुवचन; ‘others’ (substantivized adjective)

Speaker

Skanda (deduced)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Type: kshetra

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: sura-śreṣṭha (implied)

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A procession of devas and kings shown with half-bright, half-shadowed faces symbolizing satya/anṛta mixture; an aging timeline shows youth, maturity, and old age arriving at five hundred years; a sage explains the paradox.

Characters & Entities

• Skanda
• Devas
• Bhūpas (kings)

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

It portrays Dvāpara as an age of moral mixture, where truth is no longer pure and even rulers and gods reflect that blend.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

No specific tīrtha is identified in this verse.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

None; it is descriptive of yuga morality and human aging.