Skanda Purana — Prabhasa Khanda, Shloka 13

Devanagari script

विंशतिश्च सहस्राणि ज्ञेयं सौरं चतुर्युगम् । चतुर्युगैकसप्तत्या मन्वंतरमुदाहृतम्

Transliteration

viṃśatiśca sahasrāṇi jñeyaṃ sauraṃ caturyugam | caturyugaikasaptatyā manvaṃtaramudāhṛtam

Translation

Sache qu’un Caturyuga, mesuré en années solaires, est de vingt mille (unités) ; et l’on déclare qu’un Manvantara se compose de soixante et onze Caturyuga semblables.

Word by Word

• viṃśatiḥ: twenty
• viṃśatiḥ: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: viṃśati (संख्याप्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st), एकवचन; संख्यावाचक

• ca: and
• ca: Sambandha (Connector/समुच्चय)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: ca (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; समुच्चय-निपात (conjunction)

• sahasrāṇi: thousands
• sahasrāṇi: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: sahasra (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया (1st/2nd), बहुवचन

• jñeyam: to be known (as)
• jñeyam: Kriya (Predicative/विधेय)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: jñā (धातु) + ya (कृत्)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया (1st/2nd), एकवचन; विधेय-विशेषण; कर्मणि-भावे (gerundive/तव्यत्-समर्थ)

• sauram: solar
• sauram: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: saura (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया (1st/2nd), एकवचन; विशेषण

• catur-yugam: a caturyuga (four-age cycle)
• catur-yugam: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: catur (संख्या) + yuga (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया (1st/2nd), एकवचन; द्विगु-समास (चत्वारि युगानि)

• caturyuga-eka-saptatyā: by (the measure of) seventy-one caturyugas
• caturyuga-eka-saptatyā: Karana (Instrument/Measure/करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: caturyuga (प्रातिपदिक) + eka (संख्या) + saptati (संख्याप्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, तृतीया (3rd), एकवचन; तत्पुरुष (संख्याविशिष्ट-सम्बन्धः: एकसप्ततिः चतुर्युगानाम्)

• manvantaram: a manvantara
• manvantaram: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: manvantara (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया (1st/2nd), एकवचन

• udāhṛtam: is declared / is stated
• udāhṛtam: Kriya (Predicative/विधेय)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: ud-ā-√hṛ (धातु) + ta (कृत्)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया (1st/2nd), एकवचन; भूतकृदन्त (क्त), कर्मणि-प्रयोगे विधेय

Speaker

Śiva (deduced from address to Devī/Parvatī in this adhyāya sequence)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Prabhāsa-kṣetra

Type: kshetra

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A cosmic diagram: four yugas as concentric bands, then a larger ring labeled ‘71 caturyugas’ as manvantara, with Manu enthroned as archetypal lawgiver; Prabhāsa shoreline/temple silhouette anchors the scene.

Characters & Entities

• Caturyuga
• Manvantara

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

It places human life within vast cosmic cycles, encouraging humility and steadiness in dharma amid changing ages.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

The teaching occurs within the Prabhāsakṣetra Māhātmya, framing cosmic order as part of Prabhāsa’s sacred greatness.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

No direct ritual is prescribed here; it is a doctrinal explanation of time units.