Shloka 13

Devanagari script

त्रिंशन्मुहूर्त तु भवेदहश्न रात्रिश्न संख्या मुनिभि: प्रणीता । मास: स्मृतो रात््यहनी च त्रिंशत्‌ संवत्सरो द्वादशमास उक्तः,तीस मुहूर्तका एक दिन-रात होता है। महर्षियोंने दिन और रात्रिके मुहूर्तोंकी संख्या उतनी ही बतायी है। तीस रात-दिनका एक मास और बारह मासोंका एक संवत्सर बताया गया है

Transliteration

triṁśan-muhūrtaṁ tu bhaved ahaś ca rātriś ca saṅkhyā munibhiḥ praṇītā | māsaḥ smṛto rātry-ahanī ca triṁśat saṁvatsaro dvādaśa-māsa uktaḥ ||

Translation

Vyāsa said: A day and a night together consist of thirty muhūrtas—such is the reckoning established by the sages. Thirty such day-nights are remembered as a month, and twelve months are declared to make a year. Thus the wise set forth the measured order of time for disciplined living and ritual duty.

Word by Word

त्रिंशत्thirty

मुहूर्तम्muhūrta (a time-unit)

तुindeed/but

भवेत्would be/is (as a rule)

अहःday

चand

रात्रिःnight

चand

संख्याnumber/count

मुनिभिःby sages

प्रणीताset down/established

मासःmonth

स्मृतःis remembered/considered

रात्र्यहनीnight and day (pair)

चand

त्रिंशत्thirty

संवत्सरःyear

द्वादशtwelve

मासःmonths

उक्तःis said/declared

Speaker

व्यास उवाच

Characters & Entities

Vyāsa

muni (sages)

muhūrta

māsa (month)

saṁvatsara (year)

Character Dynamics

Dharma Sankata (Moral Dilemma)

Verse Rasa (Emotional Essence)

Philosophical Teaching

Political Layer

Geographic Context

Cross References

Meter (Chandas)

Sandhi Notes

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

The verse teaches the traditional, sage-established reckoning of time—30 muhūrtas per full day-night, 30 day-nights per month, and 12 months per year—supporting orderly dharma, ritual timing, and disciplined life.

What is happening in the narrative?

In Śānti Parva’s instructional setting, Vyāsa explains a standard calendrical framework, defining basic time units (muhūrta, day-night, month, year) as accepted by the sages.