Skanda Purana — Mahesvara Khanda, Shloka 50

Devanagari script

मासः पक्षद्वयेनोक्तो द्वौ मासौ चार्कजावृतुः । ऋतुत्रयं चाप्ययनं द्वेयने वर्षमुच्यते

Transliteration

māsaḥ pakṣadvayenokto dvau māsau cārkajāvṛtuḥ | ṛtutrayaṃ cāpyayanaṃ dveyane varṣamucyate

Translation

ഒരു മാസം രണ്ട് പക്ഷങ്ങളാൽ ഘടിതമാണെന്ന് പറയുന്നു; രണ്ട് മാസങ്ങൾ ചേർന്ന് ഒരു ഋതു. മൂന്ന് ഋതുക്കൾ ചേർന്ന് അയം (അർദ്ധവർഷം); രണ്ട് അയം ചേർന്നത് വർഷം എന്നു വിളിക്കുന്നു.

Word by Word

• मासः: month
• मासः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: मास (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति (Nominative), एकवचन (Singular)

• पक्ष-द्वयेन: by (means of) two fortnights
• पक्ष-द्वयेन: Karana (Instrument/करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: पक्ष (प्रातिपदिक) + द्वय (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, तृतीया-विभक्ति (Instrumental), एकवचन (Singular)

• उक्तः: is said/declared
• उक्तः: Karma (Predicate complement/कर्म-विशेषण)
• Type: Verb
• Root: वच् (धातु) → उक्त (कृदन्त, क्त-प्रत्यय)
• Form: भूतकर्मणि कृदन्त (past passive participle), पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन; (अस्ति इति अध्याहृतम्)

• द्वौ: two
• द्वौ: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: द्वि (संख्या-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, द्विवचन (Dual)

• मासौ: two months
• मासौ: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: मास (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, द्विवचन (Dual)

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

• अर्कजा: solar
• अर्कजा: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: अर्क (प्रातिपदिक) + जा (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन; ‘अर्कात् जाता’ इति (born of the Sun)

• ऋतुः: season
• ऋतुः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: ऋतु (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन

• ऋतु-त्रयम्: three seasons
• ऋतु-त्रयम्: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: ऋतु (प्रातिपदिक) + त्रय (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया, एकवचन; (त्रयाणां ऋतूनाम् समाहारः)

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

• अपि: also
• अपि: Sambandha (Particle/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: अपि (अव्यय)
• Form: सम्भावना/समुच्चयार्थक-अव्यय (particle: also/even)

• अयनम्: half-year (ayana)
• अयनम्: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: अयन (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया, एकवचन

• द्वे: two
• द्वे: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: द्वि (संख्या-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया, द्विवचन (Dual)

• अयने: two half-years
• अयने: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: अयन (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया, द्विवचन (Dual)

• वर्षम्: a year
• वर्षम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: वर्ष (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया, एकवचन

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

Speaker

Lomaharṣaṇa (Sūta) (deduced: Māheśvarakhaṇḍa context)

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A sage instructs disciples with a palm-leaf calendar; behind them a cosmic wheel shows pakṣa, ṛtu, ayana, and varṣa as concentric rings, with sun and moon marking cycles.

Characters & Entities

• māsa
• pakṣa
• ṛtu
• ayana
• varṣa
• arka (sun, implied by arkajā)

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Sacred observances are grounded in ordered time; the cosmos is approached through intelligible cycles.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

None; this is a general calendar definition.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

None directly; the framework underlies vrata and festival timing.