Skanda Purana — Nagara Khanda, Shloka 55

Devanagari script

लक्षाष्टकप्रमाणेन तद्युगं परिकीर्तितम् । चतुःषष्टिसहस्राणि वर्षाणां परिसं ख्यया । कपिशो जायते तत्र भगवान्गरुडध्वजः

Transliteration

lakṣāṣṭakapramāṇena tadyugaṃ parikīrtitam | catuḥṣaṣṭisahasrāṇi varṣāṇāṃ parisaṃ khyayā | kapiśo jāyate tatra bhagavāngaruḍadhvajaḥ

Translation

Cet âge est proclamé d’une mesure de huit lakṣas. Selon le décompte entier, il comprend soixante-quatre mille années. En cet âge naît le Seigneur Bienheureux—dont l’étendard porte Garuḍa—avec un teint fauve, d’aspect semblable au singe.

Word by Word

• लक्षाष्टकप्रमाणेन: by the measure of eight lakṣas
• लक्षाष्टकप्रमाणेन: Karana (Measure/करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: लक्ष + अष्टक + प्रमाण (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, तृतीया-विभक्ति (करण), एकवचन; Instrumental singular; ‘by the measure of eight lakṣas’

• तत्: that
• तत्: Visheshana (Qualifier)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: तद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया-विभक्ति, एकवचन; Pronoun used adjectivally

• युगम्: age (yuga)
• युगम्: Karma/Pratijna (Predicate content)
• Type: Noun
• Root: युग (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया-विभक्ति, एकवचन; Accusative as object/predicate content

• परिकीर्तितम्: is proclaimed/described
• परिकीर्तितम्: Kriya (Predicative)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: परि + कीर्तित (कृदन्त; कीर्त् धातु, क्त)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया-विभक्ति, एकवचन; क्त-प्रत्ययान्त; ‘is described/declared’

• चतुःषष्टिसहस्राणि: sixty-four thousand(s)
• चतुःषष्टिसहस्राणि: Karta/Pratijna (Quantified subject/content)
• Type: Noun
• Root: चतुःषष्टि + सहस्र (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया-विभक्ति, बहुवचन; संख्यापूर्वपद-द्विगु; ‘sixty-four thousands’

• वर्षाणाम्: of years
• वर्षाणाम्: Shashthi-Sambandha (Genitive relation)
• Type: Noun
• Root: वर्ष (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, षष्ठी-विभक्ति, बहुवचन; Genitive plural (of years)

• परिसंख्यया: by enumeration / in count
• परिसंख्यया: Karana (Manner/करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: परि + संख्या (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, तृतीया-विभक्ति (करण), एकवचन; Instrumental singular; ‘by counting/according to enumeration’

• कपिशः: Kapiśa (name/epithet)
• कपिशः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: कपिश (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन; Nominative singular

• जायते: is born / arises
• जायते: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: जन् (धातु)
• Form: लट्-लकार (वर्तमान), प्रथमपुरुष, एकवचन; आत्मनेपद; Present indicative, 3rd singular (is born/appears)

• तत्र: there
• तत्र: Adhikarana (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: तत्र (अव्यय)
• Form: देशवाचक-अव्यय (locative adverb)

• भगवान्: the Blessed Lord
• भगवान्: Karta (Apposition to subject)
• Type: Noun
• Root: भगवत् (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन; Nominative singular

• गरुडध्वजः: he whose banner is Garuḍa (Viṣṇu)
• गरुडध्वजः: Karta (Apposition to subject)
• Type: Noun
• Root: गरुड + ध्वज (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन; Nominative singular; बहुव्रीहि: ‘गरुडः ध्वजः यस्य सः’ (he whose banner is Garuḍa)

Speaker

Skanda (deduced)

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: a deva addressed as 'surasattama'

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A split-scene: above, a luminous kāla-cakra with numerals/lotus petals indicating lakṣa counts; below, Viṣṇu (Garuḍa-dhvaja) appearing with tawny hue, Garuḍa emblem prominent, sages witnessing the advent.

Characters & Entities

• Skanda
• Viṣṇu (Garuḍadhvaja)
• Dvāparayuga

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

It situates divine manifestation and dharma within cosmic time, linking yuga-characteristics with the appearance of the Lord (Viṣṇu).

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

No specific tīrtha is named; the verse is part of a broader tīrtha-māhātmya discourse that includes yuga narration.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

None; the verse is cosmological and descriptive.