Skanda Purana — Prabhasa Khanda, Shloka 33

Devanagari script

दिनमानं प्रवक्ष्यामि ब्रह्मणो लोककर्तृणः । नेत्रभागाच्चतुर्भागस्त्रुटिः कालो निगद्यते

Transliteration

dinamānaṃ pravakṣyāmi brahmaṇo lokakartṛṇaḥ | netrabhāgāccaturbhāgastruṭiḥ kālo nigadyate

Translation

Ich will das Maß eines Tages Brahmās, des Weltenerschaffers, darlegen. Eine «truṭi» gilt als Zeiteinheit von äußerster Feinheit, gleich einem Viertel eines Anteils des Augenblinzelns.

Word by Word

• दिनमानम्: measure of a day
• दिनमानम्: Karman (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: दिन + मान (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd case), एकवचन; षष्ठी-तत्पुरुष (दिनस्य मानम्)

• प्रवक्ष्यामि: I shall explain
• प्रवक्ष्यामि: Kriyā (Predicate/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: प्र + वच् (धातु)
• Form: लृट् (Simple future), उत्तमपुरुष (1st person), एकवचन; परस्मैपद

• ब्रह्मणः: of Brahmā
• ब्रह्मणः: Sambandha (Genitive relation/षष्ठी-सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: ब्रह्मन् (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, षष्ठी (6th case), एकवचन

• लोककर्तृणः: of the creator of the worlds
• लोककर्तृणः: Sambandha (Genitive apposition/षष्ठी-सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: लोक + कर्तृ (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, षष्ठी (6th case), एकवचन; षष्ठी-तत्पुरुष (लोकस्य कर्ता)

• नेत्रभागात्: from a portion of the eye
• नेत्रभागात्: Apādāna (Source/अपादान)
• Type: Noun
• Root: नेत्र + भाग (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, पञ्चमी (5th case), एकवचन; षष्ठी-तत्पुरुष (नेत्रस्य भागः)

• च: and
• च: Samuccaya (Connector/समुच्चय)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: च (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय (समुच्चय/coordination)

• चतुर्भागः: a fourth part
• चतुर्भागः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: चतुर् + भाग (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st case), एकवचन; षष्ठी-तत्पुरुष (चतुर्णां भागः)

• त्रुटिः: a truṭi (unit of time)
• त्रुटिः: Karta-samānādhikaraṇa (Appositional subject/समानााधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: त्रुटि (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st case), एकवचन; कालमान-विशेषः

• कालः: time
• कालः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: काल (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st case), एकवचन

• निगद्यते: is stated/defined
• निगद्यते: Kriyā (Predicate/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: नि + गद् (धातु)
• Form: लट् (Present), प्रथमपुरुष (3rd person), एकवचन; कर्मणि प्रयोग (passive), आत्मनेपद

Speaker

Unspecified (Prabhāsakṣetramāhātmya narrator)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Prabhāsa-kṣetra

Type: kshetra

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: Devasenā

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A sage-like Skanda enumerates time units; beside him, a symbolic eye motif and a flowing stream of tiny beads representing truṭis accumulating into larger units.

Characters & Entities

• Brahmā
• Lokakartṛ
• Truṭi
• Kāla

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Time is a sacred principle (kāla) structured in subtle units, reminding pilgrims that cosmic scales transcend human perception.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

Prabhāsa kṣetra is the textual setting, though this verse is a cosmological/time-measure exposition.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

None; it defines a time unit and introduces Brahmā’s day-measure.