Skanda Purana — Nagara Khanda, Shloka 29

Devanagari script

अहोरात्रेण चोक्तानि प्रमाणे द्विज सत्तमाः । षड्भिरुच्छ्वासनिश्वासैः पलमेकं प्रवर्तते

Transliteration

ahorātreṇa coktāni pramāṇe dvija sattamāḥ | ṣaḍbhirucchvāsaniśvāsaiḥ palamekaṃ pravartate

Translation

Ô le meilleur des dvijas, les mesures du temps sont aussi dites selon le jour et la nuit : par six expirations et inspirations, on compte un pala.

Word by Word

• अहोरात्रेण: by a day-and-night (in one day)
• अहोरात्रेण: Karana (Instrument/Measure)
• Type: Noun
• Root: अहोरात्र (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, तृतीया (3rd/Instrumental), एकवचन; अहन्+रात्रि इति द्वन्द्वसमासः

• च: and
• च: Sambandha (Connector)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: च (अव्यय)
• Form: समुच्चयार्थक-निपात

• उक्तानि: are stated/said
• उक्तानि: Karma (Object; stated/said things)
• Type: Verb
• Root: वच् (धातु) + क्त (कृदन्त)
• Form: भूतकर्मणि कृदन्त (past passive participle), नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st), बहुवचन; ‘उच्यते’ इत्यर्थे

• प्रमाणे: in the measure/standard
• प्रमाणे: Adhikarana (Location/Domain)
• Type: Noun
• Root: प्रमाण (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, सप्तमी (7th/Locative), एकवचन

• द्विज: O twice-born (Brahmins)
• द्विज: Sambodhana (Address)
• Type: Noun
• Root: द्विज (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, सम्बोधन (Vocative), बहुवचन; सत्तमाः इति विशेष्यः

• सत्तमाः: O best
• सत्तमाः: Sambodhana (Address)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: सत्तम (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, सम्बोधन (Vocative), बहुवचन; द्विज इति विशेषणम्

• षड्भिः: with six
• षड्भिः: Visheshana (Qualifier)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: षट् (संख्या-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: त्रिलिङ्ग, तृतीया (3rd/Instrumental), बहुवचन; उच्छ्वासनिश्वासैः इति विशेषणम्

• उच्छ्वासनिश्वासैः: by inhalations and exhalations
• उच्छ्वासनिश्वासैः: Karana (Instrument/Measure)
• Type: Noun
• Root: उच्छ्वास + निश्वास (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, तृतीया (3rd/Instrumental), बहुवचन; इतरेतर-द्वन्द्वः

• पलम्: a pala (unit of time/measure)
• पलम्: Karta (Subject)
• Type: Noun
• Root: पल (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st), एकवचन

• एकम्: one
• एकम्: Visheshana (Qualifier)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: एक (संख्या-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st), एकवचन; पलम् इति विशेषणम्

• प्रवर्तते: proceeds/amounts to
• प्रवर्तते: Kriya (Predicate)
• Type: Verb
• Root: प्र√वृत् (धातु)
• Form: लट्-लकार (Present), प्रथमपुरुष (3rd person), एकवचन; आत्मनेपद

Speaker

Sūta (deduced from immediate context of Adhyāya where sages question and Sūta answers)

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: Ṛṣis / brāhmaṇa audience

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A teacher-sage explains time units to attentive brāhmaṇas; a subtle motif shows breath as a visible stream, with a water-clock or marked staff indicating palas and nāḍīs.

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Time can be contemplated through the breath; measuring life by prāṇa encourages vigilance, discipline, and dharmic living.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

This verse is part of the Nāgarakhaṇḍa Tīrthamāhātmya discourse; the excerpt itself focuses on kāla-pramāṇa (time-measure) rather than naming a single tīrtha.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

No direct rite is prescribed; it provides a traditional metric linking breath-count to units of time.