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For the Skanda Purana 7.1.2.87-88, the English translation given in the website hinduscriptures.in say the following:

  1. In the Sattvika Kalpas, the greatness of Hari is supreme. They know that the greatness of Brahma reigns supreme in the Rajasa Kalpas.

  2. Similarly, the greatness of Siva is to be found in the Tamasa Kalpas. In a Purana of a mixed nature, the greatness of Saraswati and Pitrs is narrated.

I am asking because 87th verse says "In the Sattvika Kalpas and In the Rajasa Kalpas" But in the 88th verse, even though in the beginning it says "In the Tamasa Kalpas" but thereafter it says "In a Purana of a mixed nature"(I mean it doesn't say in the Kalpa of a mixed nature).

Why at last it is written that "In a Purana of mixed nature" instead of "In a Kalpa of mixed nature"? Is it a translation error?

Spark Sunshine
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  • Medini Sanskrit dictionary (1.21.2): kalpa sastre vidhau nyaye samvarte brahmane dine "Kalpa means 'scripture,' 'rule,' 'logic,' 'dissolution,' and 'day of Brahma.'" –  Jan 27 '19 at 18:48
  • I think seeing the preceeding & succeeding verses, only two possible translations for kalpa in this context is either scripture or day of brahma. –  Jan 28 '19 at 06:52

2 Answers2

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Kalpa has various meanings.It does not mean the sweatavaraha-"kalpa" etc alone which means "a day of brahma" .

In Durgapuja, we have Panchyamadi "Kalpa"-arambha, meaning the Puja starting from Mahapanchami, or Shashthyadi- Kalparambha meaning the Pujastarting from Mahashasthi.There Kalpa means "a sacred rule" or "manner of acting".

Kalpa also means "an alternative" .The link gives all meanings.

There are four alnertative types of Puranas: Sattwika, Rajasika, Tamasika and Mixed.

The sloka means: in the sattwika alternatives (among all puranas), Hari is Supreme. In the Rajasa alteratives (among all puranas) Shiva is Supreme and so on.

Another meaning could mean the purans complied in differnt parvas of Brahma. The period of fourteen Manus or 1000 yugas followed by pralaya; in the day Brahmā; in the night Nārāyaṇa sleeping over his couch Śeṣa the thirty kalpas and the thirty days of Brahmā. These are mixed, tāmasa, rājasa and sātvika from klipu, to introduce with intelligence; the fourteen saṃsthas Brahmā introduced and hence kalpa; twenty-eight in number, each of two kalpārdhas. source: www.wisdomlib.org/definition/kalpa

All meanings are "kalpa" are given in the following link: http://sanskritdictionary.com/?iencoding=iast&q=कल्प&lang=sans&action=Search

But understanding this would need a little patience of going through the meanings and digest them! In sanskrit a word can have dozens of meanings!

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The verses are as follows:

sāttvikeṣu ca kalpeṣu māhātmyamadhikaṁ hareḥ | 
rājaseṣu ca māhātmyamadhikaṁ brahmaṇo viduḥ || 87 || 
tadvadagre ca māhātmyaṁ tāmaseṣu śivasya hi |
saṁkīrṇe ca sarasvatyāḥ pitṝṇāṁ ca nigadyate || 88 ||

It doesn't say pūrāṇa at all. Just says saṁkīrne, "in the mixed". It is a mistake in translation to take it as purāṇa when the context is kalpa.

bks
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