Skanda Purana — Mahesvara Khanda, Shloka 47

Devanagari script

काष्ठा निमेषा दश पंच चाहुस्त्रिंशच्च काष्ठा गणयेत्कला हि । त्रिंशत्कलाश्चापि भवेन्मुहुर्त्तं तत्त्रिंशता रात्र्यहनी उभे च

Transliteration

kāṣṭhā nimeṣā daśa paṃca cāhustriṃśacca kāṣṭhā gaṇayetkalā hi | triṃśatkalāścāpi bhavenmuhurttaṃ tattriṃśatā rātryahanī ubhe ca

Translation

Sinasabi nilang labinlimang nimeṣa ang bumubuo ng isang kāṣṭhā; at tatlumpung kāṣṭhā ang binibilang na isang kalā. Tatlumpung kalā ang nagiging isang muhūrta; at sa tatlumpung muhūrta nabubuo ang araw at gabi.

Word by Word

• kāṣṭhāḥ: kāṣṭhās (a time-unit)
• kāṣṭhāḥ: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: kāṣṭhā (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग (Feminine), प्रथमा-विभक्ति (Nominative/1st), बहुवचन (Plural)

• nimeṣāḥ: blinks (nimeṣas)
• nimeṣāḥ: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: nimeṣa (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग (Masculine), प्रथमा-विभक्ति (Nominative/1st), बहुवचन (Plural)

• daśa: ten
• daśa: Visheshana (Quantifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: daśa (संख्याप्रातिपदिक)
• Form: अव्ययवत् संख्याशब्दः; अत्र परिमाणवाचक (ten)

• paṃca: five
• paṃca: Visheshana (Quantifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: pañca (संख्याप्रातिपदिक)
• Form: अव्ययवत् संख्याशब्दः; परिमाणवाचक (five)

• ca: and
• ca: Sambandha (Connector)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: ca (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; समुच्चयार्थक (conjunction)

• āhuḥ: they say
• āhuḥ: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: ah (धातु)
• Form: लिट्-लकार (Perfect), प्रथमपुरुष (3rd person), बहुवचन (Plural), परस्मैपद

• triṃśat: thirty
• triṃśat: Visheshana (Quantifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: triṃśat (संख्याप्रातिपदिक)
• Form: संख्या (thirty), अव्ययवत्; परिमाणवाचक

• ca: and
• ca: Sambandha (Connector)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: ca (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; समुच्चयार्थक (conjunction)

• kāṣṭhāḥ: kāṣṭhās
• kāṣṭhāḥ: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: kāṣṭhā (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग (Feminine), प्रथमा-विभक्ति (Nominative/1st), बहुवचन (Plural)

• gaṇayet: one should count/consider
• gaṇayet: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: gaṇ (धातु)
• Form: विधिलिङ् (Optative), प्रथमपुरुष (3rd person), एकवचन (Singular), परस्मैपद

• kalāḥ: kalās (a time-unit)
• kalāḥ: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: kalā (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग (Feminine), प्रथमा-विभक्ति (Nominative/1st), बहुवचन (Plural)

• hi: indeed
• hi: Sambandha (Particle)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: hi (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; हेत्वर्थक/निश्चयार्थक निपात (indeed/for)

• triṃśat: thirty
• triṃśat: Visheshana (Quantifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: triṃśat (संख्याप्रातिपदिक)
• Form: संख्या (thirty), अव्ययवत्; परिमाणवाचक

• kalāḥ: kalās
• kalāḥ: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: kalā (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग (Feminine), प्रथमा-विभक्ति (Nominative/1st), बहुवचन (Plural)

• ca: and
• ca: Sambandha (Connector)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: ca (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; समुच्चयार्थक (conjunction)

• api: also
• api: Sambandha (Particle)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: api (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; अपि (also/even)

• bhavet: would be, becomes
• bhavet: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: bhū (धातु)
• Form: विधिलिङ् (Optative), प्रथमपुरुष (3rd person), एकवचन (Singular), परस्मैपद

• muhūrtam: a muhūrta
• muhūrtam: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: muhūrta (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग (Masculine), द्वितीया-विभक्ति (Accusative/2nd), एकवचन (Singular)

• tat: that
• tat: Sambandha (Anaphoric reference)
• Type: Noun
• Root: tad (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग (Neuter), प्रथमा/द्वितीया-एकवचन (Nom/Acc sg)

• triṃśatā: by thirty
• triṃśatā: Karana (Instrument/करण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: triṃśat (संख्याप्रातिपदिक)
• Form: तृतीया-विभक्ति (Instrumental/3rd), एकवचन (Singular); संख्या (by thirty)

• rātri-ahanī: night and day (a day-night pair)
• rātri-ahanī: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: rātri + ahan (प्रातिपदिक; समाहार-द्वन्द्व)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग (Neuter), प्रथमा/द्वितीया-द्विवचन (Nom/Acc Dual); द्वन्द्वसमासः (rātriḥ + ahan)

• ubhe: both
• ubhe: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: ubha (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग (Neuter), प्रथमा/द्वितीया-द्विवचन (Nom/Acc Dual)

• ca: and
• ca: Sambandha (Connector)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: ca (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; समुच्चयार्थक (conjunction)

Speaker

Lomaharṣaṇa (Sūta) (deduced: Māheśvarakhaṇḍa context)

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: Pārtha

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A schematic depiction of time units as concentric circles or a stepped ladder: nimeṣa, kāṣṭhā, kalā, muhūrta, day-night; a teacher points to the diagram while the listener watches attentively.

Characters & Entities

• kāṣṭhā
• nimeṣa
• kalā
• muhūrta
• day-night (rātri-ahanī)

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Sacred time is measured with precision; understanding kāla supports proper ritual timing and disciplined living.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

None; this is a technical enumeration of time-units.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

No specific rite; the verse provides the calendrical/temporal framework used for rites.