Skanda Purana — Nagara Khanda, Shloka 16

Devanagari script

अष्टाविंशतिभिश्चैव सहस्रैस्तु तथा परैः । आद्यं कृतयुगं चैव तद्भ विष्यति सद्द्विजाः

Transliteration

aṣṭāviṃśatibhiścaiva sahasraistu tathā paraiḥ | ādyaṃ kṛtayugaṃ caiva tadbha viṣyati saddvijāḥ

Translation

ഇരുപത്തിയെട്ടായിരം വർഷങ്ങളാലും, അതിനുമേൽ അധിക (വർഷങ്ങളാലും), ആദ്യയുഗമായ കൃതയുഗം ഇങ്ങനെ നിർണ്ണയിക്കപ്പെട്ടിരിക്കുന്നു, ഹേ സദ്ദ്വിജന്മാരേ.

Word by Word

• aṣṭāviṃśatibhiḥ: by twenty-eights
• aṣṭāviṃśatibhiḥ: Karana (Measure)
• Type: Noun
• Root: aṣṭāviṃśati (संख्या-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: संख्यावाचक-समूहशब्दः; स्त्रीलिङ्ग, तृतीया (3rd/करण), बहुवचन

• ca: and
• ca: Sambandha (Connector)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: ca (अव्यय)
• Form: समुच्चय-अव्ययम्

• eva: indeed/just
• eva: Sambandha (Emphasis)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: eva (अव्यय)
• Form: अवधारण-निपात (emphatic particle)

• sahasraiḥ: by thousands
• sahasraiḥ: Karana (Measure)
• Type: Noun
• Root: sahasra (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, तृतीया (3rd/करण), बहुवचन

• tu: indeed
• tu: Sambandha (Discourse particle)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: tu (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्ययम्; अवधारण/विरोधार्थक

• tathā: likewise
• tathā: Sambandha (Adverbial)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: tathā (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्ययम्; प्रकारार्थक

• paraiḥ: other/additional
• paraiḥ: Viśeṣaṇa (Qualifier)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: para (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुं/नपुंसक, तृतीया (3rd), बहुवचन; sahasraiḥ इत्यस्य विशेषणम्

• ādyam: the first
• ādyam: Viśeṣaṇa (Qualifier)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: ādya (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया, एकवचन; kṛtayugam इत्यस्य विशेषणम्

• kṛta-yugam: the Kṛta-yuga
• kṛta-yugam: Karma (Object; predicate complement)
• Type: Noun
• Root: kṛta (प्रातिपदिक) + yuga (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: तत्पुरुष-समास (कृतं नाम युगम्); नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया, एकवचन

• ca: and
• ca: Sambandha (Connector)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: ca (अव्यय)
• Form: समुच्चय-अव्ययम्

• eva: indeed
• eva: Sambandha (Emphasis)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: eva (अव्यय)
• Form: अवधारण-निपात

• tat: that
• tat: Karta (Subject; anaphoric)
• Type: Noun
• Root: tad (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: सर्वनाम; नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन

• bhaviṣyati: will be
• bhaviṣyati: Kriyā (Predicate)
• Type: Verb
• Root: √bhū (धातु)
• Form: लृट् (Simple Future), प्रथमपुरुष, एकवचन; परस्मैपदम्

• sat-dvijāḥ: O good/brāhmaṇa sages
• sat-dvijāḥ: Sambodhana (Address)
• Type: Noun
• Root: sat (प्रातिपदिक) + dvija (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: कर्मधारय-समास (सन्तः द्विजाः); पुंलिङ्ग, सम्बोधन (8th/vocative), बहुवचन

Speaker

Sūta

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A four-yuga staircase or wheel begins with luminous Kṛtayuga: white-clad sages, abundant nature, and a radiant dharma-bull standing firm; a sage marks the numeric measure of Kṛtayuga on a manuscript.

Characters & Entities

• Kṛtayuga
• yuga

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Purāṇic dharma frames history as cyclical; knowing yuga-measures encourages alignment with righteousness appropriate to the age.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

No specific tīrtha is named in this verse; it shifts into yuga-chronology within the chapter.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

None; it is a chronological definition rather than a ritual instruction.