Skanda Purana — Prabhasa Khanda, Shloka 41

Devanagari script

बृहस्पतिरुवाच । कृतं त्रेता द्वापरं च कलिश्च सुरसत्तम । चतुर्युगमिदं प्रोक्तं तत्त्वतो मुनिसत्तमैः

Transliteration

bṛhaspatiruvāca | kṛtaṃ tretā dvāparaṃ ca kaliśca surasattama | caturyugamidaṃ proktaṃ tattvato munisattamaiḥ

Translation

బృహస్పతి పలికెను—హే దేవశ్రేష్ఠా! కృత, త్రేతా, ద్వాపర, కలి—ఈ నాలుగు యుగాల సమూహమే చతుర్యుగమని మునిశ్రేష్ఠులు తత్త్వతః సత్యంగా వివరించారు।

Word by Word

• बृहस्पतिः: Bṛhaspati
• बृहस्पतिः: Karta (Speaker/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: बृहस्पति (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति (Nominative/1st), एकवचन (Singular)

• उवाच: said
• उवाच: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: वच् (धातु)
• Form: लिट्-लकार (Perfect), प्रथम-पुरुष (3rd person), एकवचन (Singular), परस्मैपद

• कृतम्: Kṛta (Satya-yuga)
• कृतम्: Karta (Item in enumeration/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: कृत (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति (Nominative/1st), एकवचन (Singular)

• त्रेता: Tretā (yuga)
• त्रेता: Karta (Item in enumeration/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: त्रेता (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति (Nominative/1st), एकवचन (Singular)

• द्वापरम्: Dvāpara (yuga)
• द्वापरम्: Karta (Item in enumeration/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: द्वापर (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति (Nominative/1st), एकवचन (Singular)

• च: and
• च: Samuccaya (Connector/समुच्चय)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: च (अव्यय)
• Form: समुच्चय-अव्यय (conjunction)

• कलिः: Kali (yuga)
• कलिः: Karta (Item in enumeration/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: कलि (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति (Nominative/1st), एकवचन (Singular)

• च: and
• च: Samuccaya (Connector/समुच्चय)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: च (अव्यय)
• Form: समुच्चय-अव्यय (conjunction)

• सुरसत्तम: O best of gods
• सुरसत्तम: Sambodhana (Address/सम्बोधन)
• Type: Noun
• Root: सुर + सत्तम (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, सम्बोधन-विभक्ति (Vocative/सम्बोधन), एकवचन (Singular)

• चतुर्युगम्: the four-yuga cycle
• चतुर्युगम्: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: चतुर् + युग (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति (Nominative/1st), एकवचन (Singular)

• इदम्: this
• इदम्: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: इदम् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति (Nominative/1st), एकवचन (Singular)

• प्रोक्तम्: has been declared
• प्रोक्तम्: Kriya (Predicative/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: प्र + वच् (धातु)
• Form: क्त-प्रत्ययान्त कृदन्त (past passive participle), नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन; कर्मणि (passive: 'has been said')

• तत्त्वतः: truly, in essence
• तत्त्वतः: Prakara (Manner/प्रकार)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: तत्त्व (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: तसिल्-प्रत्ययान्त अव्यय (adverb: 'in truth/essentially')

• मुनिसत्तमैः: by the best sages
• मुनिसत्तमैः: Karana/Karta (Agent in passive/कर्तृ-करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: मुनि + सत्तम (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, तृतीया-विभक्ति (Instrumental/3rd), बहुवचन (Plural)

Speaker

Bṛhaspati

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Dvārakā (implied by section)

Type: kshetra

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: Indra (Vāsava), addressed as surasattama

Visual Art Cues

Scene: Bṛhaspati, the guru of the gods, instructs Indra (Vāsava) on the four yugas as a cosmic wheel of time, with subtle symbols of decline across ages.

Characters & Entities

• Bṛhaspati
• Indra (surasattama)
• Kṛta-yuga
• Tretā-yuga
• Dvāpara-yuga
• Kali-yuga

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Dharma is understood within cosmic time; knowing the yugas is part of grasping how righteousness is taught and practiced.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

The immediate verse is doctrinal (yuga framework), supporting the broader Dvārakā Māhātmya teaching context.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

None; the verse introduces a doctrinal classification of time (caturyuga).