Skanda Purana — Nagara Khanda, Shloka 10

Devanagari script

अष्टाविंशतिसहस्राणि लक्षाः सप्तदशैव तु । प्रमाणेन कृतं प्रोक्तं यत्र शुक्लो जनार्दनः

Transliteration

aṣṭāviṃśatisahasrāṇi lakṣāḥ saptadaśaiva tu | pramāṇena kṛtaṃ proktaṃ yatra śuklo janārdanaḥ

Translation

അതിന്റെ പ്രമാണം ഇരുപത്തിയെട്ട് സഹസ്രവും പതിനേഴു ലക്ഷവും എന്നു പ്രസ്താവിക്കുന്നു; ഇത് കൃത (സത്യ) യുഗം, ഇതിൽ ജനാർദനൻ ശ്വേതരൂപനായി വിരാജിക്കുന്നു।

Word by Word

• अष्टाविंशतिसहस्राणि: twenty-eight thousands
• अष्टाविंशतिसहस्राणि: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: अष्टाविंशति (संख्या-प्रातिपदिक) + सहस्र (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1), बहुवचन — Nominative plural; द्विगु-समास ‘28 हजार’

• लक्षाः: lakhs (hundred-thousands)
• लक्षाः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: लक्ष (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1), बहुवचन — Nominative plural

• सप्तदश: seventeen
• सप्तदश: Viśeṣaṇa (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: सप्तदश (संख्या-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: संख्यावाचक, पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1), बहुवचन (लक्षाः इत्यस्य विशेषणम्) — Numeral adjective ‘seventeen’ qualifying ‘लक्षाः’

• एव: indeed, just
• एव: Nipāta (Particle/निपात)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: एव (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय (निपात) — emphatic particle

• तु: but, however
• तु: Nipāta (Particle/निपात)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: तु (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय (निपात) — adversative/contrastive particle

• प्रमाणेन: by measure/according to the extent
• प्रमाणेन: Karaṇa (Instrument/करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: प्रमाण (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, तृतीया (3), एकवचन — Instrumental singular

• कृतम्: made, composed
• कृतम्: Kriyāviśeṣaṇa (Predicate complement/विधेय)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: कृ (धातु) → कृत (कृदन्त)
• Form: भूतकृदन्त (क्त), नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया (1/2), एकवचन — Neuter sg; predicate adjective ‘made/compiled’

• प्रोक्तम्: said, proclaimed
• प्रोक्तम्: Kriyāviśeṣaṇa (Predicate complement/विधेय)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: प्र + वच् (धातु) → प्रोक्त (कृदन्त)
• Form: भूतकृदन्त (क्त), नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया (1/2), एकवचन — Neuter sg; predicate adjective ‘declared’

• यत्र: where, wherein
• यत्र: Adhikaraṇa (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: यत्र (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय (सम्बन्ध/देशवाचक) — relative adverb ‘where/wherein’

• शुक्लः: white, bright
• शुक्लः: Viśeṣaṇa (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: शुक्ल (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1), एकवचन — Nominative singular; विशेषण of ‘जनार्दनः’

• जनार्दनः: Janārdana (Viṣṇu)
• जनार्दनः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: जनार्दन (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1), एकवचन — Nominative singular

Speaker

Bṛhaspati

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: Indra

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A symbolic depiction of Satya-yuga: a luminous white-hued Janārdana (Viṣṇu) radiating sattva, with a cosmic time scale motif (kāla-cakra) and serene, pure surroundings.

Characters & Entities

• Bṛhaspati
• Janārdana (Viṣṇu)

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

The yugas have distinctive measures and qualities; Satya (Kṛta) is marked by purity symbolized by the ‘white’ form of Janārdana.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

No specific tīrtha is named; the verse focuses on yuga-measure and yuga-characteristics.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

None; it is descriptive (pramāṇa and yuga identification).