Skanda Purana — Prabhasa Khanda, Shloka 10

Devanagari script

निमिषैस्त्रिंशद्भिः काष्ठा ताभिर्विंशतिभिः कला । विंशतिकलो मुहूर्तः स्याद्दिनं पंचदशैस्तु तैः

Transliteration

nimiṣaistriṃśadbhiḥ kāṣṭhā tābhirviṃśatibhiḥ kalā | viṃśatikalo muhūrtaḥ syāddinaṃ paṃcadaśaistu taiḥ

Translation

ତିରିଶ ନିମେଷରେ ଏକ କାଷ୍ଠା; କୋଡ଼ିଏ କାଷ୍ଠାରେ ଏକ କଳା। କୋଡ଼ିଏ କଳାରେ ଏକ ମୁହୂର୍ତ୍ତ; ଏମିତି ପନ୍ଦର ମୁହୂର୍ତ୍ତରେ ଏକ ଦିନ ହୁଏ।

Word by Word

• nimiṣaiḥ: by (means of) blinks (nimiṣas)
• nimiṣaiḥ: Karana (Instrument/करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: nimiṣa (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, तृतीया (3rd/Vibhakti-3), बहुवचन

• triṃśadbhiḥ: by thirty
• triṃśadbhiḥ: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: triṃśat (संख्याप्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्गे (काष्ठा-विशेषण), तृतीया (3rd), बहुवचन; संख्यावाचक

• kāṣṭhā: a kāṣṭhā (unit of time)
• kāṣṭhā: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: kāṣṭhā (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st), एकवचन

• tābhiḥ: by those (kāṣṭhās)
• tābhiḥ: Karana (Instrument/करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: tad (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, तृतीया (3rd), बहुवचन; सर्वनाम

• viṃśatibhiḥ: by twenty
• viṃśatibhiḥ: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: viṃśati (संख्याप्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्गे (कला-विशेषण), तृतीया (3rd), बहुवचन; संख्यावाचक

• kalā: a kalā (unit of time)
• kalā: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: kalā (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st), एकवचन

• viṃśati-kalaḥ: consisting of twenty kalās
• viṃśati-kalaḥ: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: viṃśati (संख्या) + kalā (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st), एकवचन; द्विगु-समास (संख्यापूर्वकः)

• muhūrtaḥ: a muhūrta
• muhūrtaḥ: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: muhūrta (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st), एकवचन

• syāt: would be / is (defined as)
• syāt: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: as (धातु)
• Form: विधिलिङ् (Optative), प्रथमपुरुष (3rd person), एकवचन; परस्मैपद

• dinam: a day
• dinam: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: dina (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd), एकवचन

• paṃcadaśaiḥ: by fifteen
• paṃcadaśaiḥ: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: paṃcadaśa (संख्याप्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्गे (तैः—मूहूर्तैः इत्यर्थे), तृतीया (3rd), बहुवचन; संख्यावाचक

• tu: indeed / but
• tu: Sambandha (Discourse particle/निपात)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: tu (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; निपात (emphatic/contrastive particle)

• taiḥ: by those (muhūrtas)
• taiḥ: Karana (Instrument/करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: tad (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, तृतीया (3rd), बहुवचन; सर्वनाम (मूहूर्तैः इत्यर्थे)

Speaker

Īśvara (Śiva)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Prabhāsa-kṣetra

Type: kshetra

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A clean schematic: a vertical ladder of units—nimeṣa → kāṣṭhā → kalā → muhūrta → day—inscribed on a palm-leaf, with a pilgrim-priest near Somnātha preparing for a timed rite.

Characters & Entities

• Nimeṣa
• Kāṣṭhā
• Kalā
• Muhūrta
• Dina

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Ritual life is grounded in precise measures of time; sacred order is expressed through exact gradations.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

The Prabhāsa Māhātmya context links these time-measures to the sanctity of Prabhāsakṣetra.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

Indirectly, it underpins muhūrta-based prescriptions (timing of pūjā, vrata, snāna), though none is named here.