Skanda Purana — Avanti Khanda, Shloka 9

Devanagari script

कालापेक्षास्तु तिष्ठन्ति लोकवृत्तान्ततत्पराः । ततः कल्पक्षये प्राप्ते तेषां ज्ञानमनुत्तमम्

Transliteration

kālāpekṣāstu tiṣṭhanti lokavṛttāntatatparāḥ | tataḥ kalpakṣaye prāpte teṣāṃ jñānamanuttamam

Translation

ନିର୍ଦ୍ଧାରିତ କାଳକୁ ଅପେକ୍ଷା କରି ସେମାନେ ରହିଲେ, ଲୋକମାନଙ୍କ ଗତି-ବୃତ୍ତାନ୍ତ ଦେଖିବାରେ ତତ୍ପର; ପରେ କଳ୍ପକ୍ଷୟ ଆସିଲେ ସେମାନଙ୍କ ଜ୍ଞାନ ଅନୁତ୍ତମ ହେଲା।

Word by Word

• काल-अपेक्षाः: expectations with respect to time
• काल-अपेक्षाः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: काल (प्रातिपदिक) + अपेक्षा (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), बहुवचन; तत्पुरुषः—‘कालस्य अपेक्षा’

• तु: indeed / but
• तु: Sambandha (Connector/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: तु (अव्यय)
• Form: विरोध/विशेषणार्थक-निपात (particle: but/indeed)

• तिष्ठन्ति: they remain/stand
• तिष्ठन्ति: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: स्था (धातु)
• Form: लट्-लकार (Present), प्रथमपुरुष (3rd person), बहुवचन; परस्मैपद

• लोक-वृत्तान्त-तत्पराः: intent on the affairs/events of the worlds
• लोक-वृत्तान्त-तत्पराः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: लोक (प्रातिपदिक) + वृत्तान्त (प्रातिपदिक) + तत्पर (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), बहुवचन; विशेषणम्—‘लोकवृत्तान्ते तत्पराः’

• ततः: thereafter
• ततः: Sambandha (Connector/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: ततः (अव्यय/तद्-प्रभव)
• Form: अव्यय; अपादान/क्रमसूचक-अव्यय (then/thereafter/from that)

• कल्प-क्षये: at the end of the kalpa
• कल्प-क्षये: Adhikarana (Location/Time/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: कल्प (प्रातिपदिक) + क्षय (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, सप्तमी (7th/Locative), एकवचन; तत्पुरुषः—‘कल्पस्य क्षये’

• प्राप्ते: when (it) has arrived/occurred
• प्राप्ते: Adhikarana (Time/अधिकरण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: प्र-आप् (धातु) → प्राप्त (कृदन्त/क्त)
• Form: सप्तमी (7th/Locative), एकवचन; क्त-प्रत्ययान्त-भूतकर्मणि/भूतकाले; ‘(कल्पक्षये) प्राप्ते’ = ‘when (it) has come’

• तेषाम्: of them
• तेषाम्: Shashthi-Sambandha (Genitive/षष्ठी)
• Type: Noun
• Root: तद् (सर्वनाम/प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, षष्ठी (6th/Genitive), बहुवचन

• ज्ञानम्: knowledge
• ज्ञानम्: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: ज्ञान (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया (1st/2nd), एकवचन; अत्र कर्तृ/कर्म-रूपेण (contextually subject)

• अनुत्तमम्: unsurpassed
• अनुत्तमम्: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: अनुत्तम (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया (1st/2nd), एकवचन; ज्ञानस्य विशेषणम्

Speaker

Mārkaṇḍeya

Visual Art Cues

Scene: Sages and lokapālas stand in stillness at the edge of cosmic time, watching the worlds’ cycles; then a vast pralaya horizon—oceans rising, lights dimming—followed by a serene radiance of awakened knowledge.

Characters & Entities

• Kalpa-kṣaya
• Lokavṛttānta (world-events)

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

True knowledge matures with patience and right observation of kāla and loka; at dissolution, realized beings perceive the highest clarity beyond ordinary change.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

No specific tīrtha is named; the verse continues the cosmological prelude that supports the later māhātmya of the Narmadā sacred domain.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

None explicitly; the implied discipline is kālāpekṣā (patient alignment with time) and contemplative attention to dharma and world-processes.