Skanda Purana — Brahma Khanda, Shloka 35

Devanagari script

संवत्सरार्तवो मासाः पक्षाहोरात्रयः क्रमात् । कलाकाष्ठामुहूर्तादि निमे षादि लवास्तथा

Transliteration

saṃvatsarārtavo māsāḥ pakṣāhorātrayaḥ kramāt | kalākāṣṭhāmuhūrtādi nime ṣādi lavāstathā

Translation

ക്രമമായി സംവത്സരം, ഋതുക്കൾ, മാസങ്ങൾ, പക്ഷങ്ങൾ, പകലും രാത്രിയും പ്രസ്ഫുടമായി; കൂടാതെ കാലപരിമാണങ്ങൾ—കലാ, കാഷ്ഠാ, മുഹൂർത്തം മുതലായവ—നിമേഷം, ലവം വരെ ഉദ്ഭവിച്ചു.

Word by Word

• संवत्सराः: years
• संवत्सराः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: saṃvatsara (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग; प्रथमा (1st/Nominative); बहुवचन (Plural)

• ऋतवः: seasons
• ऋतवः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: ṛtu (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग; प्रथमा (1st/Nominative); बहुवचन (Plural)

• मासाः: months
• मासाः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: māsa (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग; प्रथमा (1st/Nominative); बहुवचन (Plural)

• पक्षाः: fortnights
• पक्षाः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: pakṣa (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग; प्रथमा (1st/Nominative); बहुवचन (Plural)

• अहोरात्रयः: days and nights
• अहोरात्रयः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: ahaḥ + rātri (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग; प्रथमा (1st/Nominative); बहुवचन (Plural); इतरेतर-द्वन्द्वः (copulative: “days and nights”)

• क्रमात्: in sequence
• क्रमात्: Sambandha (Relation/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: krama (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: अव्ययीभाव-निभः; पञ्चमी-एकवचन-रूपेण अव्ययवत् (ablatival adverb: “in order/successively”)

• कला: a unit of time (kalā)
• कला: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: kalā (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग; प्रथमा (1st/Nominative); एकवचन (Singular)

• काष्ठा: a time-unit (kāṣṭhā)
• काष्ठा: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: kāṣṭhā (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग; प्रथमा (1st/Nominative); एकवचन (Singular)

• मुहूर्त: muhūrta
• मुहूर्त: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: muhūrta (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग; प्रथमा (1st/Nominative); एकवचन (Singular)

• आदि: and the rest
• आदि: Sambandha (Relation/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: ādi (अव्यय/प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: अव्यय; समाहार/आदि-अर्थक (indeclinable: “and so on, etc.”)

• निमेष: a blink (nimeṣa)
• निमेष: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: nimeṣa (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग; प्रथमा (1st/Nominative); एकवचन (Singular)

• आदि: and so on
• आदि: Sambandha (Relation/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: ādi (अव्यय/प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: अव्यय; आदि-अर्थक (etc.)

• लवाः: instants (lavas)
• लवाः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: lava (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग; प्रथमा (1st/Nominative); बहुवचन (Plural)

• तथा: likewise
• तथा: Sambandha (Relation/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: tathā (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; समुच्चय/तुलना-वाचक (likewise)

Speaker

Śiva (contextual; confirmed explicitly at 8.39)

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A ‘wheel of time’ (kāla-cakra) showing concentric rings: saṃvatsara, ṛtu, māsa, pakṣa, ahorātra, then finer spokes for kalā-kāṣṭhā-muhūrta-nimeṣa-lava; sages point to the wheel as a teaching diagram.

Characters & Entities

• Saṃvatsara
• Ṛtu
• Māsa
• Pakṣa
• Ahorātra
• Muhūrta
• Nimeṣa
• Lava

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Time itself is sacred and ordered; recognizing its divisions supports disciplined living and timely performance of dharma.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

No tīrtha is named; the verse establishes a cosmological basis for sacred timing.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

No specific rite is prescribed, but the mention of muhūrta and time-divisions implicitly underpins ritual timing (kāla-niyama).