Skanda Purana — Mahesvara Khanda, Shloka 57

Devanagari script

लक्षद्वादशसाहस्रषण्नवत्यधिकाः पराः । अष्टौ लक्षाश्चतुःषष्टिसहस्राणि च द्वापरः

Transliteration

lakṣadvādaśasāhasraṣaṇnavatyadhikāḥ parāḥ | aṣṭau lakṣāścatuḥṣaṣṭisahasrāṇi ca dvāparaḥ

Translation

On dit que le Tretā-yuga compte douze lakhs, quatre-vingt-seize mille, avec encore mille années en plus ; et le Dvāpara-yuga compte huit lakhs et soixante-quatre mille années (selon la mesure humaine).

Word by Word

• लक्षद्वादशसाहस्रषण्नवत्यधिकाः: twelve lakhs and ninety-six thousand more
• लक्षद्वादशसाहस्रषण्नवत्यधिकाः: Viśeṣaṇa (Adjective/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: लक्ष + द्वादश + साहस्र + षण्णवति + अधिक (प्रातिपदिकानि)
• Form: बहुवचन, प्रथमा-विभक्ति; संख्या-समाससमूहः (द्वादशलक्ष + साहस्र + षण्णवति-अधिक) = '12 lakhs plus 96 thousand'; agrees with implied 'years' (n. pl.) by sense

• पराः: are next/further
• पराः: Predicative
• Type: Adjective
• Root: पर (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, बहुवचन; predicative 'are further/next' (refers to next yuga count)

• अष्टौ: eight
• अष्टौ: Viśeṣaṇa (Adjective/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: अष्टन् (संख्याशब्द-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया, बहुवचन; numeral (eight) qualifying लक्षाः

• लक्षाः: lakhs
• लक्षाः: Karta/Pradhāna (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: लक्ष (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, बहुवचन; Nominative plural (lakhs)

• चतुःषष्टिसहस्राणि: sixty-four thousand
• चतुःषष्टिसहस्राणि: Viśeṣaṇa (Adjective/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: चतुःषष्टि + सहस्र (संख्याप्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया, बहुवचन; संख्या-तत्पुरुष (चतुःषष्टेः सहस्राणि)

• च: and
• च: Sambandha/Connector
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: च (अव्यय)
• Form: समुच्चयबोधक-निपात (conjunction)

• द्वापरः: Dvāpara [yuga]
• द्वापरः: Karta/Pradhāna (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: द्वापर (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन; Nominative singular (name of yuga)

Speaker

Lomaharṣaṇa (Sūta) (deduced from Māheśvara-khaṇḍa narrative convention)

Visual Art Cues

Scene: Two adjoining vignettes: Tretā-yuga with Rāma-like royal dharma imagery; Dvāpara-yuga with Kṛṣṇa-like pastoral/royal imagery; above them, a celestial abacus marking durations.

Characters & Entities

• Tretā-yuga
• Dvāpara-yuga

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

The ages have measured spans, indicating a governed cosmos where Dharma changes in proportion to time.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

No tīrtha is referenced; this is part of the cosmological time section.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

None explicitly; the verse supports Purāṇic teaching contexts such as vrata-fruits described differently per yuga.