Skanda Purana — Nagara Khanda, Shloka 9

Devanagari script

आयुष्यं शंकरस्यापि यत्प्रमाणं तथा हरेः । ब्रह्मणोऽपि समाचक्ष्व परं कौतूहलं हि नः

Transliteration

āyuṣyaṃ śaṃkarasyāpi yatpramāṇaṃ tathā hareḥ | brahmaṇo'pi samācakṣva paraṃ kautūhalaṃ hi naḥ

Translation

Dis-nous la mesure de la durée de vie de Śaṅkara (Śiva), ainsi que celle de Hari (Viṣṇu), et aussi celle de Brahmā, car nous sommes saisis de la plus profonde curiosité.

Word by Word

• आयुष्यम्: lifespan
• आयुष्यम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: आयुष्य (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति, एकवचन

• शंकरस्य: of Śaṅkara
• शंकरस्य: Sambandha (Genitive/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: शंकर (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, षष्ठी-विभक्ति, एकवचन

• अपि: also
• अपि: Sambandha (Connector/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: अपि (अव्यय)
• Form: समुच्चय/अपेक्षार्थक-अव्यय (also/even)

• यत्: which/that
• यत्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: यद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया, एकवचन; सम्बन्धसूचक

• प्रमाणम्: measure/extent
• प्रमाणम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: प्रमाण (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया, एकवचन

• तथा: likewise
• तथा: Sambandha (Connector/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: तथा (अव्यय)
• Form: तुल्यार्थक-अव्यय (likewise/so)

• हरेः: of Hari (Viṣṇu)
• हरेः: Sambandha (Genitive/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: हरि (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, षष्ठी-विभक्ति, एकवचन

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

• अपि: also
• अपि: Sambandha (Connector/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: अपि (अव्यय)
• Form: समुच्चयार्थक-अव्यय (also)

• समाचक्ष्व: tell/explain
• समाचक्ष्व: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: सम्+आ+चक्ष् (धातु)
• Form: लोट्-लकार (Imperative), मध्यम-पुरुष, एकवचन; परस्मैपद

• परम्: great/utmost
• परम्: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: पर (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया, एकवचन; विशेषण

• कौतूहलम्: curiosity
• कौतूहलम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: कौतूहल (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया, एकवचन

• हि: indeed
• हि: Sambandha (Connector/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: हि (अव्यय)
• Form: निश्चयार्थक/हेतौ-अव्यय (indeed/for)

• नः: our/to us
• नः: Sambandha (Genitive/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: अस्मद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: षष्ठी/चतुर्थी-विभक्ति, बहुवचन; एनक्लिटिक

Speaker

Sages/Brāhmaṇas (listeners addressing Sūta)

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: Sūta (implied)

Visual Art Cues

Scene: Close-up of sages asking about the lifespans of Śaṅkara, Hari, and Brahmā; above them, a faint symbolic wheel of time (kāla-cakra) or layered cosmic spheres to suggest the scale of the question.

Characters & Entities

• Śaṅkara (Śiva)
• Hari (Viṣṇu)
• Brahmā

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Sacred inquiry (jijñāsā) into cosmic order and divine measures is upheld as a legitimate pursuit within Purāṇic dharma.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

This verse introduces a cosmological topic within the Tīrthamāhātmya setting; it does not itself name a particular tīrtha.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

None—this is a question requesting doctrinal explanation about divine lifespans.