Skanda Purana — Mahesvara Khanda, Shloka 52

Devanagari script

इद्वत्सरस्तृतीयोऽसौ चतुर्थश्चानुवत्सरः । पंचमश्च युगोनाम गणनानिश्चयो हि सः

Transliteration

idvatsarastṛtīyo'sau caturthaścānuvatsaraḥ | paṃcamaśca yugonāma gaṇanāniścayo hi saḥ

Translation

മൂന്നാമത് ‘ഇദ്വത്സരം’, നാലാമത് ‘അനുവത്സരം’ എന്നു പറയുന്നു. അഞ്ചാമത് ‘യുഗം’ എന്ന നാമം—ഇതാണ് ഗണനയുടെ സ്ഥിരനിശ്ചയം.

Word by Word

• इद्वत्सरः: Idvatsara (name of a year)
• इद्वत्सरः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: इद्वत्सर (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन

• तृतीयः: third
• तृतीयः: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: तृतीय (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन

• असौ: this/that (one)
• असौ: Karta (Subject apposition/कर्ता-समानााधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: अदस् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन; सर्वनाम (pronoun: that/this)

• चतुर्थः: fourth
• चतुर्थः: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: चतुर्थ (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन

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

• अनुवत्सरः: Anuvatsara (name of a year)
• अनुवत्सरः: Karta (Subject complement/कर्ता-समानााधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: अनुवत्सर (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन

• पञ्चमः: fifth
• पञ्चमः: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: पञ्चम (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन

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

• युगः: Yuga (name of a year)
• युगः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: युग (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन

• नाम: by name
• नाम: Sambandha (Naming particle/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: नाम (अव्यय)
• Form: नाम-शब्दः (indeclinable particle: ‘by name/called’)

• गणना-निश्चयः: the fixed reckoning (system of counting)
• गणना-निश्चयः: Karta (Predicate noun/कर्ता-समानााधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: गणना (प्रातिपदिक) + निश्चय (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन; षष्ठी-तत्पुरुष (of-counting determination)

• हि: indeed
• हि: Sambandha (Particle/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: हि (अव्यय)
• Form: हेतौ/निश्चयार्थक-अव्यय (particle: indeed/for)

• सः: that (system)
• सः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: तद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन; सर्वनाम (pronoun: he/that)

Speaker

Lomaharṣaṇa (Sūta) (deduced: Māheśvarakhaṇḍa context)

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A cosmic accountant-sage inscribes the five-year cycle; the fifth segment labeled ‘Yuga’ glows, implying a foundational unit; stars and sun paths arc overhead.

Characters & Entities

• Idvatsara
• Anuvatsara
• Yuga
• gaṇanā (reckoning)

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Tradition preserves authoritative standards for measuring time, enabling orderly dharma and festival observance.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

None; the verse concludes a calendrical naming sequence.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

None explicitly; it provides the naming convention used in religious calculations.