Skanda Purana — Nagara Khanda, Shloka 29

Devanagari script

अहोरात्रेण चोक्तानि प्रमाणे द्विज सत्तमाः । षड्भिरुच्छ्वासनिश्वासैः पलमेकं प्रवर्तते

Transliteration

ahorātreṇa coktāni pramāṇe dvija sattamāḥ | ṣaḍbhirucchvāsaniśvāsaiḥ palamekaṃ pravartate

Translation

اے بہترین دِوِج! دن اور رات کے پیمانے سے وقت کی مقداریں بھی بیان کی گئی ہیں؛ چھ بار سانس باہر اور اندر لینے سے ایک پَل شمار ہوتا ہے۔

Word by Word

• अहोरात्रेण: by a day-and-night (in one day)
• अहोरात्रेण: Karana (Instrument/Measure)
• Type: Noun
• Root: अहोरात्र (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, तृतीया (3rd/Instrumental), एकवचन; अहन्+रात्रि इति द्वन्द्वसमासः

• च: and
• च: Sambandha (Connector)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: च (अव्यय)
• Form: समुच्चयार्थक-निपात

• उक्तानि: are stated/said
• उक्तानि: Karma (Object; stated/said things)
• Type: Verb
• Root: वच् (धातु) + क्त (कृदन्त)
• Form: भूतकर्मणि कृदन्त (past passive participle), नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st), बहुवचन; ‘उच्यते’ इत्यर्थे

• प्रमाणे: in the measure/standard
• प्रमाणे: Adhikarana (Location/Domain)
• Type: Noun
• Root: प्रमाण (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, सप्तमी (7th/Locative), एकवचन

• द्विज: O twice-born (Brahmins)
• द्विज: Sambodhana (Address)
• Type: Noun
• Root: द्विज (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, सम्बोधन (Vocative), बहुवचन; सत्तमाः इति विशेष्यः

• सत्तमाः: O best
• सत्तमाः: Sambodhana (Address)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: सत्तम (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, सम्बोधन (Vocative), बहुवचन; द्विज इति विशेषणम्

• षड्भिः: with six
• षड्भिः: Visheshana (Qualifier)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: षट् (संख्या-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: त्रिलिङ्ग, तृतीया (3rd/Instrumental), बहुवचन; उच्छ्वासनिश्वासैः इति विशेषणम्

• उच्छ्वासनिश्वासैः: by inhalations and exhalations
• उच्छ्वासनिश्वासैः: Karana (Instrument/Measure)
• Type: Noun
• Root: उच्छ्वास + निश्वास (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, तृतीया (3rd/Instrumental), बहुवचन; इतरेतर-द्वन्द्वः

• पलम्: a pala (unit of time/measure)
• पलम्: Karta (Subject)
• Type: Noun
• Root: पल (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st), एकवचन

• एकम्: one
• एकम्: Visheshana (Qualifier)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: एक (संख्या-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st), एकवचन; पलम् इति विशेषणम्

• प्रवर्तते: proceeds/amounts to
• प्रवर्तते: Kriya (Predicate)
• Type: Verb
• Root: प्र√वृत् (धातु)
• Form: लट्-लकार (Present), प्रथमपुरुष (3rd person), एकवचन; आत्मनेपद

Speaker

Sūta (deduced from immediate context of Adhyāya where sages question and Sūta answers)

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: Ṛṣis / brāhmaṇa audience

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A teacher-sage explains time units to attentive brāhmaṇas; a subtle motif shows breath as a visible stream, with a water-clock or marked staff indicating palas and nāḍīs.

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Time can be contemplated through the breath; measuring life by prāṇa encourages vigilance, discipline, and dharmic living.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

This verse is part of the Nāgarakhaṇḍa Tīrthamāhātmya discourse; the excerpt itself focuses on kāla-pramāṇa (time-measure) rather than naming a single tīrtha.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

No direct rite is prescribed; it provides a traditional metric linking breath-count to units of time.