Skanda Purana — Prabhasa Khanda, Shloka 10

Devanagari script

ब्रह्मोवाच । लक्षं सप्तदश प्रोक्तं युगमानं सुराधिप । अष्टाविंशतिभिः सार्द्धं सहस्रैः कृतमुच्यते

Transliteration

brahmovāca | lakṣaṃ saptadaśa proktaṃ yugamānaṃ surādhipa | aṣṭāviṃśatibhiḥ sārddhaṃ sahasraiḥ kṛtamucyate

Translation

Brahmā dit : Ô seigneur des dieux, la mesure d’un yuga est proclamée en lakhs. Le Kṛta-yuga est dit de dix-sept lakhs, avec encore vingt-huit mille (années).

Word by Word

• ब्रह्मा: Brahmā
• ब्रह्मा: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: ब्रह्मन् (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति (Nominative/1st), एकवचन (Singular)

• उवाच: said
• उवाच: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: वच् (धातु)
• Form: लिट्-लकार (Perfect), प्रथमपुरुष (3rd person), एकवचन (Singular), परस्मैपद

• लक्षम्: a lakh (100,000)
• लक्षम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: लक्ष (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया-विभक्ति (Nom./Acc.), एकवचन (Singular)

• सप्तदश: seventeen
• सप्तदश: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: सप्तदश (संख्यापद/प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: अव्ययवत् संख्याविशेषण (numeral adjective), नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया, एकवचन

• प्रोक्तम्: is said/declared
• प्रोक्तम्: Kriya (Predicative/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: प्र + वच् (धातु)
• Form: क्त-प्रत्ययान्त (Past passive participle), नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया, एकवचन

• युग-मानम्: the measure of a yuga
• युग-मानम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: युग (प्रातिपदिक) + मान (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया-विभक्ति (Nom./Acc.), एकवचन (Singular)

• सुर-अधिप: O lord of the gods
• सुर-अधिप: Sambodhana (Address/सम्बोधन)
• Type: Noun
• Root: सुर (प्रातिपदिक) + अधिप (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, सम्बोधन-प्रथमा (Vocative), एकवचन (Singular)

• अष्टाविंशतिभिः: with twenty-eights
• अष्टाविंशतिभिः: Karana (Instrument/करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: अष्टाविंशति (संख्यापद/प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, तृतीया-विभक्ति (Instrumental/3rd), बहुवचन (Plural)

• सार्धम्: together with
• सार्धम्: Sahartha (Accompaniment/सहार्थ)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: सार्धम् (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय (Prepositional adverb: 'together with')

• सहस्रैः: by thousands
• सहस्रैः: Karana (Instrument/करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: सहस्र (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, तृतीया-विभक्ति (Instrumental/3rd), बहुवचन (Plural)

• कृतम्: the Kṛta (yuga)
• कृतम्: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: कृत (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति (Nominative/1st), एकवचन (Singular)

• उच्यते: is called
• उच्यते: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: वच् (धातु)
• Form: लट्-लकार (Present), कर्मणि-प्रयोग (Passive), प्रथमपुरुष (3rd person), एकवचन (Singular), आत्मनेपद

Speaker

Brahmā

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: Indra (Sūrādhipa)

Visual Art Cues

Scene: Brahmā speaks with measured clarity; a symbolic ‘kāla-cakra’ or inscribed numerals appear as a visual aura; Indra listens attentively, devas and ṛṣis silent as if witnessing a cosmic calculation.

Characters & Entities

• Brahmā
• Indra
• Kṛta-yuga

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Dharma is taught within a cosmic framework—time itself is ordered, measured, and meaningful in Purāṇic teaching.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

None; this is a doctrinal passage on yuga duration supporting the broader Purāṇic worldview used in māhātmya narratives.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

No ritual is prescribed; it provides a time-measure teaching (yuga-pramāṇa).