Skanda Purana — Brahma Khanda, Shloka 79

Devanagari script

माघशुक्लद्वितीयादिचैत्रकृष्णचतुर्द्दशीम् । सप्ताशीतिदिनान्येवं मध्ये पंवदशा हकम्

Transliteration

māghaśukladvitīyādicaitrakṛṣṇacaturddaśīm | saptāśītidinānyevaṃ madhye paṃvadaśā hakam

Translation

Du deuxième jour de la quinzaine claire de Māgha jusqu’au quatorzième de la quinzaine sombre de Caitra, il y eut ainsi quatre-vingt-sept jours au total, avec un intervalle supplémentaire indiqué au milieu.

Word by Word

• माघशुक्लद्वितीयादि: beginning with Māgha bright-fortnight second (day)
• माघशुक्लद्वितीयादि: Sambandha (Relation/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: माघ + शुक्ल + द्वितीया + आदि (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग/नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया (context-dependent), एकवचन; समासः—बहुपद-तत्पुरुषः (माघे शुक्लपक्षे द्वितीया आदि)

• चैत्रकृष्णचतुर्दशीम्: (up to) the Chaitra dark-fortnight fourteenth day
• चैत्रकृष्णचतुर्दशीम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: चैत्र + कृष्ण + चतुर्दशी (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd/कर्म), एकवचन; समासः—तत्पुरुषः (चैत्रे कृष्णपक्षे चतुर्दशी)

• सप्ताशीतिदिनानि: eighty-seven days
• सप्ताशीतिदिनानि: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: सप्ताशीति + दिन (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया (1st/2nd), बहुवचन; समासः—द्विगु/तत्पुरुषः (सप्ताशीतिः संख्या + दिनानि)

• एवम्: thus
• एवम्: Sambandha (Relation/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: एवम् (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; प्रकारवाचक (adverb of manner)

• मध्ये: in the middle
• मध्ये: Adhikarana (Location/Time/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: मध्य (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, सप्तमी (7th/अधिकरण), एकवचन; ‘in the middle’

• पञ्चदशाहकम्: a period of fifteen days
• पञ्चदशाहकम्: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: पञ्चदश + अह (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया, एकवचन; समासः—द्विगु/तत्पुरुषः (पञ्चदश अहानि)

Speaker

Unnamed Purāṇic narrator (contextual narrator within Brāhma Khaṇḍa)

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A sage or narrator indicating a palm-leaf calendar/pañcāṅga, with months Māgha to Caitra marked; behind, faint vignettes of war scenes as time passes in counted days.

Characters & Entities

• Māgha (month)
• Caitra (month)
• Śukla Dvitīyā
• Kṛṣṇa Caturdaśī

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Purāṇas preserve sacred history with calendrical precision, tying dharma narratives to auspicious time (kāla).

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

None; the verse is primarily chronological.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

None; it is a computation of days between lunar dates.