Skanda Purana — Nagara Khanda, Shloka 23

Devanagari script

ब्रह्मणो वर्षमात्रेण दिनं वैष्णवमुच्यते

Transliteration

brahmaṇo varṣamātreṇa dinaṃ vaiṣṇavamucyate

Translation

ब्रह्मणो वर्षमात्रेण यत् दिनं परिगण्यते, तदेव ‘वैष्णवदिनम्’ इति लोके उच्यते।

Word by Word

• ब्रह्मणः: of Brahmā
• ब्रह्मणः: Sambandha (Genitive relation/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: ब्रह्मन् (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, षष्ठी-विभक्ति (6th/Genitive), एकवचन — 'of Brahmā/Brahman'

• वर्षमात्रेण: by (the measure of) a year only
• वर्षमात्रेण: Karana (Instrument/करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: वर्ष (प्रातिपदिक) + मात्र (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, तृतीया-विभक्ति (3rd/Instrumental), एकवचन; समासः—तत्पुरुष (वर्षस्य मात्रम्)

• दिनम्: a day
• दिनम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: दिन (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया-विभक्ति (1st/2nd Nom/Acc), एकवचन

• वैष्णवम्: Vaiṣṇava
• वैष्णवम्: Karma (Object-complement/कर्म-विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: वैष्णव (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया-विभक्ति (1st/2nd Nom/Acc), एकवचन; विशेषणम् (दिनम् इति)

• उच्यते: is called
• उच्यते: Kriya (Verb/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: वच् (धातु)
• Form: लट्-लकार (Present), प्रथमपुरुष (3rd person), एकवचन; कर्मणि-प्रयोग (Passive)

Speaker

Sūta (deduced)

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A didactic cosmic tableau: Brahmā seated on lotus with a time-wheel (kāla-cakra); a smaller ‘Vaiṣṇava day’ glyph emanates as a measured unit, with Viṣṇu’s symbols (śaṅkha-cakra) marking the scale.

Characters & Entities

• Brahmā
• Viṣṇu

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

It teaches layered sacred time: divine ‘days’ are vast, urging devotion that transcends ordinary human measure.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

None directly; it is a doctrinal definition embedded in the tīrtha-oriented chapter.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

None; it defines a cosmological unit (‘Vaiṣṇava day’).