Skanda Purana — Nagara Khanda, Shloka 7

Devanagari script

हाटकेश्वरजे क्षेत्रे कूपिकामध्यसंस्थितम् । अमावास्यादिने तत्र चतुर्दश्याश्च देवप । गया संक्रमते सम्यक्सर्वतीर्थसमन्विता

Transliteration

hāṭakeśvaraje kṣetre kūpikāmadhyasaṃsthitam | amāvāsyādine tatra caturdaśyāśca devapa | gayā saṃkramate samyaksarvatīrthasamanvitā

Translation

Im heiligen Gebiet von Hāṭakeśvara, an dem Ort, der inmitten von Kūpikā liegt, am Tage der Amāvasyā (Neumond) und auch am vierzehnten Tage, o Herr der Götter, geht Gayā selbst ordnungsgemäß dorthin über, begleitet von der Essenz aller tīrthas.

Word by Word

• hāṭakeśvaraje: Born/Located in Hatakeshwara
• hāṭakeśvaraje: Visheshana (Qualifier)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: hāṭakeśvaraja (हाटकेश्वरज)
• Form: Neuter, Locative, Singular

• kṣetre: In the field/region
• kṣetre: Adhikarana (Location)
• Type: Noun
• Root: kṣetra (क्षेत्र)
• Form: Neuter, Locative, Singular

• kūpikāmadhyasaṃsthitam: Situated in the middle of the small well
• kūpikāmadhyasaṃsthitam: Visheshana (Qualifier)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: kūpikāmadhyasaṃsthita (कूपिकामध्यसंस्थित)
• Form: Neuter, Nominative, Singular

• amāvāsyādine: On the day of Amavasya
• amāvāsyādine: Adhikarana (Time)
• Type: Noun
• Root: amāvāsyādina (अमावास्यादिन)
• Form: Neuter, Locative, Singular

• tatra: There
• tatra: Adhikarana (Location)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: tatra (तत्र)
• Form: Adverb of place

• caturdaśyāḥ: Of the fourteenth day
• caturdaśyāḥ: Sambandha (Relation)
• Type: Noun
• Root: caturdaśī (चतुर्दशी)
• Form: Feminine, Genitive, Singular

• ca: And
• ca: Connector
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: ca (च)
• Form: Conjunction

• devapa: O Protector of Gods (King)
• devapa: Sambodhana (Address)
• Type: Noun
• Root: devapa (देवप)
• Form: Masculine, Vocative, Singular

• gayā: Gaya (Tirtha)
• gayā: Karta (Subject)
• Type: Noun
• Root: gayā (गया)
• Form: Feminine, Nominative, Singular

• saṃkramate: Transits/Enters
• saṃkramate: Kriya (Action)
• Type: Verb
• Root: kram (क्रम्) + sam
• Form: Lat Lakara (Present), Prathama Purusha (3rd), Singular, Atmanepada

• samyak: Properly/Fully
• samyak: Manner
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: samyak (सम्यक्)
• Form: Adverb

• sarvatīrthasamanvitā: Endowed with all Tirthas
• sarvatīrthasamanvitā: Visheshana (Qualifier)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: sarvatīrthasamanvitā (सर्वतीर्थसमन्विता)
• Form: Feminine, Nominative, Singular

Speaker

Unspecified in snippet (within Śakra–Viṣṇu dialogue; likely Viṣṇu speaking to Śakra/Indra)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Hāṭakeśvara-kṣetra (Kūpikā-madhya tīrtha)

Type: kshetra

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A sacred kṣetra named Hāṭakeśvara with a central ‘Kūpikā’ spot; on Amāvāsyā/Caturdaśī, the presence of Gayā and ‘all tīrthas’ is envisioned as a luminous convergence.

Characters & Entities

• Hāṭakeśvara
• Kūpikā
• Gayā
• Śakra (Indra)

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Certain sacred places become especially potent on specific lunar days; honoring ancestors there is treated as equivalent to accessing the merit of many tīrthas.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

Hāṭakeśvara-kṣetra, particularly the spot described as ‘in the midst of Kūpikā,’ where Gayā’s sanctity is said to manifest.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

Observances on Amāvāsyā (new moon) and Caturdaśī (14th lunar day), implying śrāddha/tīrtha-rites at that location.