Skanda Purana — Nagara Khanda, Shloka 17

Devanagari script

ततो द्वादशभिर्लक्षैः षोडशानां सहस्रकैः । त्रेतायुगं समादिष्टं द्वितीयं द्विजसत्तमाः

Transliteration

tato dvādaśabhirlakṣaiḥ ṣoḍaśānāṃ sahasrakaiḥ | tretāyugaṃ samādiṣṭaṃ dvitīyaṃ dvijasattamāḥ

Translation

پھر بارہ لاکھ اور سولہ ہزار (برس) کے پیمانے سے دوسرا عہد—تریتا یُگ—مقرر کیا گیا، اے بہترینِ دِویج۔

Word by Word

• tataḥ: thereafter
• tataḥ: Adhikarana (Context/अधिकरण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: tatas (अव्यय-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: अव्यय (क्रियाविशेषण) — ‘ततः’ = ‘तस्मात्/तदनन्तरम्’ (thereafter/from that)

• dvādaśabhiḥ: by twelve
• dvādaśabhiḥ: Karana (Instrument/करण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: dvādaśan (संख्यावाचक-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग/नपुंसकलिङ्ग, तृतीया (3rd/करण), बहुवचन — ‘द्वादश’ (by twelve)

• lakṣaiḥ: by lakhs (hundred-thousands)
• lakṣaiḥ: Karana (Instrument/करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: lakṣa (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, तृतीया (3rd/करण), बहुवचन — (by lakhs)

• ṣoḍaśānām: of sixteen
• ṣoḍaśānām: Sambandha (Genitive/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: ṣoḍaśan (संख्यावाचक-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: षष्ठी (6th/सम्बन्ध), बहुवचन — ‘षोडश’ (of sixteen)

• sahasrakaiḥ: by thousands
• sahasrakaiḥ: Karana (Instrument/करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: sahasraka (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, तृतीया (3rd/करण), बहुवचन — (by thousands)

• tretāyugam: the Tretā-yuga
• tretāyugam: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: tretā + yuga (प्रातिपदिक; समास)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd/कर्म), एकवचन — ‘त्रेतायुगम्’ (the Tretā age)

• samādiṣṭam: was ordained/assigned
• samādiṣṭam: Kriya (Predicate/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: sam-ā-√diś (धातु) + kta (कृत् प्रत्यय)
• Form: कृदन्त (क्त-प्रत्ययान्त), नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया, एकवचन — ‘समादिष्टम्’ (ordained/assigned)

• dvitīyam: second
• dvitīyam: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: dvitīya (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd/कर्म), एकवचन — (as the second)

• dvijasattamāḥ: O best of the twice-born (Brahmins)
• dvijasattamāḥ: Sambodhana (Address/सम्बोधन)
• Type: Noun
• Root: dvija + sattama (प्रातिपदिक; समास)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/कर्ता), बहुवचन — संबोधनार्थे प्रयोगः (O best of twice-born)

Speaker

Sūta

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: dvija-sattamāḥ (best of the twice-born)

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A sage addresses learned brāhmaṇas, pointing to a cosmic diagram of the four yugas; the numbers appear as sacred numerals floating in space, with a calm, instructional atmosphere.

Characters & Entities

• Tretāyuga
• yuga

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

The Purāṇas present a structured cosmic chronology, reminding devotees that dharma unfolds across vast cycles beyond a single lifetime.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

No specific tīrtha is mentioned in this verse; it continues the chapter’s cosmological exposition.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

None; it is a definitional statement about yuga duration.