Skanda Purana — Nagara Khanda, Shloka 36

Devanagari script

गच्छंति येन पूर्वं तु तीर्थयात्रापरायणाः । हाटकेश्वरदेवस्य दर्शनार्थं मुनीश्वराः

Transliteration

gacchaṃti yena pūrvaṃ tu tīrthayātrāparāyaṇāḥ | hāṭakeśvaradevasya darśanārthaṃ munīśvarāḥ

Translation

Auf eben diesem Weg waren einst die großen Weisen—der Tīrtha-Pilgerfahrt hingegeben—gezogen, um die Darśana des Herrn Hāṭakeśvara zu erlangen.

Word by Word

• gacchanti: go
• gacchanti: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: √gam (गम्)
• Form: लट् (Present), प्रथमपुरुष (3rd person), बहुवचन; परस्मैपद

• yena: by which (way)
• yena: Karana (Instrument/करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: yad (यद्-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग/नपुंसकलिङ्ग, तृतीया (3rd), एकवचन; सर्वनाम

• pūrvam: formerly/earlier
• pūrvam: Kriya-visheshana (Adverbial/क्रियाविशेषण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: pūrva (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: क्रियाविशेषण-अव्यय (adverb: formerly/earlier)

• tu: indeed/and
• tu: Sambandha (Connector/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: tu (अव्यय)
• Form: निपात (particle)

• tīrtha-yātrā-parāyaṇāḥ: devoted to pilgrimage
• tīrtha-yātrā-parāyaṇāḥ: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: tīrtha (प्रातिपदिक) + yātrā (प्रातिपदिक) + parāyaṇa (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st), बहुवचन; तत्पुरुष-समास (तीर्थयात्रायां परायणाः)

• hāṭaka-īśvara-devasya: of the god Hāṭakeśvara
• hāṭaka-īśvara-devasya: Sambandha (Genitive/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: hāṭaka (प्रातिपदिक) + īśvara (प्रातिपदिक) + deva (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, षष्ठी (6th), एकवचन; तत्पुरुष-समास (हाटकेश्वरः देवः तस्य)

• darśana-artham: for the purpose of seeing
• darśana-artham: Prayojana (Purpose/प्रयोजन)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: darśana (प्रातिपदिक) + artha (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: अव्ययीभाव-समास; द्वितीया-एकवचनरूपेण अव्ययवत् (purpose)

• muni-īśvarāḥ: lords among sages
• muni-īśvarāḥ: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: muni (प्रातिपदिक) + īśvara (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st), बहुवचन; कर्मधारय-समास (मुनीनां ईश्वराः)

Speaker

Narrator (contextual Purāṇic narration within Nāgarakhaṇḍa)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Hāṭakeśvara (approach-mārga via nāga-bila)

Type: kshetra

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A line of ancient sages with matted hair and deer-skins proceeds along a mysterious cavern-path toward Hāṭakeśvara’s shrine, their faces intent on darśana; the sādhvī’s journey is placed within this timeless procession.

Characters & Entities

• Hāṭakeśvara
• Munis (sages)

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

A tīrtha’s authority is reinforced by lineage: what sages have sought for darśana becomes a trustworthy path for later pilgrims.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

Hāṭakeśvara-kṣetra is directly glorified through the emphasis on sages undertaking pilgrimage specifically for His darśana.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

The implied practice is tīrtha-yātrā culminating in darśana of Hāṭakeśvara; no additional rite is specified in this verse.