Skanda Purana — Nagara Khanda, Shloka 16

Devanagari script

अष्टाविंशतिभिश्चैव सहस्रैस्तु तथा परैः । आद्यं कृतयुगं चैव तद्भ विष्यति सद्द्विजाः

Transliteration

aṣṭāviṃśatibhiścaiva sahasraistu tathā paraiḥ | ādyaṃ kṛtayugaṃ caiva tadbha viṣyati saddvijāḥ

Translation

اٹھائیس ہزار (برس) اور اس کے ساتھ مزید (برسوں) کے حساب سے پہلا یُگ، یعنی کِرت یُگ، اسی طرح مقرر ہوتا ہے، اے نیک دِوِجوں!

Word by Word

• aṣṭāviṃśatibhiḥ: by twenty-eights
• aṣṭāviṃśatibhiḥ: Karana (Measure)
• Type: Noun
• Root: aṣṭāviṃśati (संख्या-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: संख्यावाचक-समूहशब्दः; स्त्रीलिङ्ग, तृतीया (3rd/करण), बहुवचन

• ca: and
• ca: Sambandha (Connector)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: ca (अव्यय)
• Form: समुच्चय-अव्ययम्

• eva: indeed/just
• eva: Sambandha (Emphasis)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: eva (अव्यय)
• Form: अवधारण-निपात (emphatic particle)

• sahasraiḥ: by thousands
• sahasraiḥ: Karana (Measure)
• Type: Noun
• Root: sahasra (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, तृतीया (3rd/करण), बहुवचन

• tu: indeed
• tu: Sambandha (Discourse particle)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: tu (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्ययम्; अवधारण/विरोधार्थक

• tathā: likewise
• tathā: Sambandha (Adverbial)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: tathā (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्ययम्; प्रकारार्थक

• paraiḥ: other/additional
• paraiḥ: Viśeṣaṇa (Qualifier)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: para (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुं/नपुंसक, तृतीया (3rd), बहुवचन; sahasraiḥ इत्यस्य विशेषणम्

• ādyam: the first
• ādyam: Viśeṣaṇa (Qualifier)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: ādya (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया, एकवचन; kṛtayugam इत्यस्य विशेषणम्

• kṛta-yugam: the Kṛta-yuga
• kṛta-yugam: Karma (Object; predicate complement)
• Type: Noun
• Root: kṛta (प्रातिपदिक) + yuga (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: तत्पुरुष-समास (कृतं नाम युगम्); नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया, एकवचन

• ca: and
• ca: Sambandha (Connector)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: ca (अव्यय)
• Form: समुच्चय-अव्ययम्

• eva: indeed
• eva: Sambandha (Emphasis)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: eva (अव्यय)
• Form: अवधारण-निपात

• tat: that
• tat: Karta (Subject; anaphoric)
• Type: Noun
• Root: tad (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: सर्वनाम; नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन

• bhaviṣyati: will be
• bhaviṣyati: Kriyā (Predicate)
• Type: Verb
• Root: √bhū (धातु)
• Form: लृट् (Simple Future), प्रथमपुरुष, एकवचन; परस्मैपदम्

• sat-dvijāḥ: O good/brāhmaṇa sages
• sat-dvijāḥ: Sambodhana (Address)
• Type: Noun
• Root: sat (प्रातिपदिक) + dvija (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: कर्मधारय-समास (सन्तः द्विजाः); पुंलिङ्ग, सम्बोधन (8th/vocative), बहुवचन

Speaker

Sūta

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A four-yuga staircase or wheel begins with luminous Kṛtayuga: white-clad sages, abundant nature, and a radiant dharma-bull standing firm; a sage marks the numeric measure of Kṛtayuga on a manuscript.

Characters & Entities

• Kṛtayuga
• yuga

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Purāṇic dharma frames history as cyclical; knowing yuga-measures encourages alignment with righteousness appropriate to the age.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

No specific tīrtha is named in this verse; it shifts into yuga-chronology within the chapter.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

None; it is a chronological definition rather than a ritual instruction.