Skanda Purana — Avanti Khanda, Shloka 43

Devanagari script

कौर्मं पञ्चदशं प्राहुर्भागद्वयविभूषितम् । दशसप्तसहस्राणि पुरा सांख्यपते कलौ

Transliteration

kaurmaṃ pañcadaśaṃ prāhurbhāgadvayavibhūṣitam | daśasaptasahasrāṇi purā sāṃkhyapate kalau

Translation

കൗർമപുരാണത്തെ പഞ്ചദശമെന്ന് പറയുന്നു; അത് രണ്ടു ഭാഗങ്ങളാൽ വിഭൂഷിതമാണ്. ഹേ സാംഖ്യപതേ! കലിയുഗത്തിൽ പുരാതനകാലത്ത് അതിന്റെ പരിമാണം പതിനേഴായിരം ശ്ലോകങ്ങളെന്ന് പറഞ്ഞിരുന്നു.

Word by Word

• kaurmam: the Kaurma (Purāṇa)
• kaurmam: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: kaurma (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया, एकवचन; (पुराणनाम)

• pañcadaśam: fifteenth
• pañcadaśam: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: pañcadaśa (संख्या-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया, एकवचन; क्रमवाचक-विशेषणम् (15th)

• prāhuḥ: they say/declare
• prāhuḥ: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: pra-√ah (अह्/आह्) (धातु)
• Form: लिट् (Perfect), प्रथमपुरुष, बहुवचन; परस्मैपदम्

• bhāga-dvaya-vibhūṣitam: adorned with two parts
• bhāga-dvaya-vibhūṣitam: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: bhāga (प्रातिपदिक) + dvaya (प्रातिपदिक) + vi-√bhūṣ (भूष्) (धातु)
• Form: कृदन्त (क्त-प्रत्ययान्त PPP) ‘vibhūṣita’; नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया, एकवचन; ‘कौर्मम्’ इति विशेषणम्; तत्पुरुषसमासः (भागद्वयेन विभूषितम्)

• daśa-sapta-sahasrāṇi: seventeen thousand (verses)
• daśa-sapta-sahasrāṇi: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: daśa (संख्या-प्रातिपदिक) + sapta (संख्या-प्रातिपदिक) + sahasra (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया, बहुवचन; द्विगुसमासः (१७-सहस्राणि)

• purā: formerly
• purā: Avyaya (Adverbial/अव्यय)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: purā (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय (adverb)

• sāṃkhya-pate: O lord of Sāṃkhya
• sāṃkhya-pate: Sambodhana (Address/सम्बोधन)
• Type: Noun
• Root: sāṃkhya (प्रातिपदिक) + pati (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, सम्बोधन, एकवचन; षष्ठी-तत्पुरुषः (सांख्यस्य पतिः)

• kalau: in the Kali age
• kalau: Adhikarana (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: kali (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, सप्तमी (7th), एकवचन

Speaker

Sūta (Lomaharṣaṇa) (deduced)

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: sāṅkhyapate (addressed ‘lord of Sāṅkhya’)

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A sage addresses a ‘sāṅkhyapate’ interlocutor; behind them a symbolic tortoise (kūrma) motif appears on a manuscript stand, indicating Kūrma Purāṇa; the atmosphere is reflective, acknowledging Kali-yuga context.

Characters & Entities

• Kaurma Purāṇa
• Kali Yuga
• Sāṅkhya (as a tradition/title of addressee)

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

It highlights the ordered preservation of Purāṇic literature, including its internal divisions and traditional measures.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

No tīrtha is named; the verse remains focused on the Kaurma Purāṇa’s place and structure.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

None; it is descriptive (name, order, division, and length), not prescriptive.