Skanda Purana — Nagara Khanda, Shloka 19

Devanagari script

चतुर्लक्षं समादिष्टं युगं कलिसमुद्भवम् । द्वात्रिंशता सहस्रैस्तु चतुर्थं तद्विदुर्बुधाः

Transliteration

caturlakṣaṃ samādiṣṭaṃ yugaṃ kalisamudbhavam | dvātriṃśatā sahasraistu caturthaṃ tadvidurbudhāḥ

Translation

കലിയിൽ നിന്നുയർന്ന നാലാം യുഗമായ കലിയുഗം നാല് ലക്ഷം (വർഷങ്ങൾ) എന്ന അളവായി നിശ്ചയിക്കപ്പെട്ടിരിക്കുന്നു; മുപ്പത്തിരണ്ടായിരം കൂടി ചേർത്ത് പണ്ഡിതർ അതിനെ നാലാമതായി അറിയുന്നു।

Word by Word

• caturlakṣam: four lakhs
• caturlakṣam: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: catur + lakṣa (प्रातिपदिक; समास)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd/कर्म), एकवचन — ‘चतुर्-लक्षम्’ (four lakhs)

• samādiṣṭam: is assigned
• samādiṣṭam: Kriya (Predicate/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: sam-ā-√diś (धातु) + kta (कृत् प्रत्यय)
• Form: कृदन्त (क्त-प्रत्ययान्त), नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया, एकवचन — ‘समादिष्टम्’ (ordained/assigned)

• yugam: the yuga
• yugam: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: yuga (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd/कर्म), एकवचन — (age/yuga)

• kalisamudbhavam: Kali-origin (Kali-yuga)
• kalisamudbhavam: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: kali + samudbhava (प्रातिपदिक; समास)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd/कर्म), एकवचन — ‘कलि-समुद्भवम्’ (arising as Kali)

• dvātriṃśatā: by thirty-two
• dvātriṃśatā: Karana (Instrument/करण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: dvātriṃśat (संख्यावाचक-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: तृतीया (3rd/करण), एकवचन — ‘द्वात्रिंशता’ (by thirty-two)

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

• tu: indeed
• tu: Discourse (Particle/निपात)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: tu (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय (विशेषार्थक) — ‘indeed’

• caturtham: fourth
• caturtham: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: caturtha (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd/कर्म), एकवचन — (as the fourth)

• tat: that
• tat: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: tad (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd/कर्म), एकवचन — ‘तत्’ (that)

• viduḥ: know
• viduḥ: Kriya (Predicate/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: √vid (धातु)
• Form: लट् (वर्तमान), परस्मैपद, प्रथमपुरुष, बहुवचन — ‘विदुः’ (they know)

• budhāḥ: the wise (people)
• budhāḥ: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: budha (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/कर्ता), बहुवचन — (the wise)

Speaker

Sūta (deduced from Purāṇic māhātmya narration style within Nāgarakhaṇḍa)

Visual Art Cues

Scene: The time-wheel’s Kali segment is darkened yet bounded; a sage points to it while pilgrims in the background approach a shrine, suggesting refuge in sacred places during decline.

Characters & Entities

• Kali

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

By defining Kali’s measure, it hints that dharma-practice and tīrtha-sevā become especially urgent in an age marked by decline.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

No single site is named in this verse; it supports the broader tīrtha narrative by situating it within cosmic chronology.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

None explicitly; the verse is a time-measure statement.