Skanda Purana — Prabhasa Khanda, Shloka 15

Devanagari script

रात्रिश्च तावती चैव चतुर्युगसहस्रिका । अनेन दिनमानेन शताब्दं जीवति प्रिये

Transliteration

rātriśca tāvatī caiva caturyugasahasrikā | anena dinamānena śatābdaṃ jīvati priye

Translation

Et la nuit est de la même mesure, composée de mille Caturyuga. Selon cette mesure du jour, ô bien-aimée, (Brahmā) vit cent ans.

Word by Word

• रात्रिः: night
• रात्रिः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: रात्रि (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति (Nominative/1st), एकवचन (Singular)

• च: and
• च: Sambandha (Connector/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: च (अव्यय)
• Form: समुच्चयार्थक-अव्यय (conjunction)

• तावती: so much/that much (in extent)
• तावती: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: तावत् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति (Nominative/1st), एकवचन; विशेषण (adjective)

• च: and
• च: Sambandha (Connector/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: च (अव्यय)
• Form: समुच्चयार्थक-अव्यय (conjunction)

• एव: indeed/just
• एव: Sambandha (Emphasis/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: एव (अव्यय)
• Form: अवधारणार्थक-अव्यय (emphatic particle)

• चतुर्युगसहस्रिका: consisting of a thousand (sets of) four yugas
• चतुर्युगसहस्रिका: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: चतुर्युग + सहस्रिका (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति (Nominative/1st), एकवचन; विशेषण (adjective)

• अनेन: by this
• अनेन: Karana (Instrument/करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: इदम् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, तृतीया-विभक्ति (Instrumental/3rd), एकवचन

• दिनमानेन: by the measure of a day
• दिनमानेन: Karana (Instrument/करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: दिनमान (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, तृतीया-विभक्ति (Instrumental/3rd), एकवचन

• शताब्दम्: a hundred years
• शताब्दम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: शत + अब्द (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति (Accusative/2nd), एकवचन; कालपरिमाण (measure of time)

• जीवति: lives
• जीवति: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: जीव् (धातु)
• Form: लट्-लकार (Present), प्रथमपुरुष (3rd person), एकवचन (Singular), परस्मैपद

• प्रिये: O beloved (dear one)
• प्रिये: Sambodhana (Address/सम्बोधन)
• Type: Noun
• Root: प्रिय (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, सम्बोधन-विभक्ति (Vocative), एकवचन

Speaker

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

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Prabhāsa-kṣetra

Type: kshetra

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A split tableau: left shows Brahmā’s ‘day’ with bustling creation; right shows ‘night’ with waters of pralaya and Brahmā in yogic repose; in the foreground, a pilgrim at Prabhāsa holds a lamp before Somnātha, symbolizing steady devotion through cycles.

Characters & Entities

• Brahmā
• Caturyuga

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Cosmic time dwarfs worldly anxieties; aligning life with dharma and devotion is the wise use of limited human time.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

The discourse belongs to Prabhāsakṣetra Māhātmya, linking sacred place-glory with knowledge of cosmic order.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

No explicit ritual instruction appears in this verse.