Skanda Purana — Nagara Khanda, Shloka 72

Devanagari script

गौतम उवाच । हाटकेश्वरसंज्ञे तु सकृद्दृष्टे च यत्फलम् । पातालस्थे च यत्पुण्यं नराणां जायते फलम् । दृष्टेनानेन तत्पुण्यं पूजितेन विशेषतः

Transliteration

gautama uvāca | hāṭakeśvarasaṃjñe tu sakṛddṛṣṭe ca yatphalam | pātālasthe ca yatpuṇyaṃ narāṇāṃ jāyate phalam | dṛṣṭenānena tatpuṇyaṃ pūjitena viśeṣataḥ

Translation

Gautama sprach: „Welche Frucht schon daraus erwächst, Hāṭakeśvara nur ein einziges Mal zu schauen, und welches Verdienst den Menschen zuteilwird, solange Er in Pātāla weilt—eben dieses Verdienst erlangt man durch das Schauen dieses offenbarten Liṅga, und noch mehr durch seine Verehrung.“

Word by Word

• gautamaḥ: Gautama
• gautamaḥ: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: gautama (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति (Nominative), एकवचन

• uvāca: said
• uvāca: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: vac (धातु)
• Form: लिट्-लकार (Perfect), प्रथम-पुरुष (3rd person), एकवचन; परस्मैपद

• hāṭakeśvara-saṃjñe: in (the place) named Hāṭakeśvara
• hāṭakeśvara-saṃjñe: Adhikarana (Locative/अधिकरण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: hāṭakeśvara (प्रातिपदिक) + saṃjñā (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, सप्तमी-विभक्ति (Locative), एकवचन; ‘-saṃjñā’ इति विशेषणम् (named as ...)

• tu: but/indeed
• tu: Sambandha (Discourse particle)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: tu (अव्यय)
• Form: निपात (particle), विरोध/विशेषार्थक

• sakṛt: once
• sakṛt: Kriya-vishesana (Adverbial)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: sakṛt (अव्यय)
• Form: क्रियाविशेषण (adverb)

• dṛṣṭe: when/if (it is) seen
• dṛṣṭe: Adhikarana (Locative/अधिकरण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: dṛṣṭa (कृदन्त; √dṛś)
• Form: सप्तमी-विभक्ति (Locative), एकवचन; नपुंसकलिङ्ग/सामान्य-प्रयोग; भूतकृदन्त (past passive participle)

• ca: and
• ca: Sambandha (Connector)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: ca (अव्यय)
• Form: समुच्चयबोधक (conjunction)

• yat: whatever/that which
• yat: Visheshya (Correlative/relative)
• Type: Noun
• Root: yad (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया-विभक्ति (Nom./Acc.), एकवचन; सम्बन्धसूचक (relative)

• phalam: fruit, result
• phalam: Karma/Phala (Object/result)
• Type: Noun
• Root: phala (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया-विभक्ति (Nom./Acc.), एकवचन

• pātāla-sthe: in (the one) situated in Pātāla
• pātāla-sthe: Adhikarana (Locative/अधिकरण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: pātāla (प्रातिपदिक) + stha (कृदन्त/प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: सप्तमी-विभक्ति (Locative), एकवचन; ‘पाताले स्थिते’ इति (located in Pātāla)

• ca: and
• ca: Sambandha (Connector)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: ca (अव्यय)
• Form: समुच्चयबोधक (conjunction)

• yat: whatever/that which
• yat: Visheshya (Correlative/relative)
• Type: Noun
• Root: yad (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया-विभक्ति (Nom./Acc.), एकवचन; सम्बन्धसूचक (relative)

• puṇyam: merit
• puṇyam: Karma/Phala (Object/result)
• Type: Noun
• Root: puṇya (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया-विभक्ति (Nom./Acc.), एकवचन

• narāṇām: of men/people
• narāṇām: Sambandha (Genitive/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: nara (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, षष्ठी-विभक्ति (Genitive), बहुवचन

• jāyate: arises/is produced
• jāyate: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: jan (धातु)
• Form: लट्-लकार (Present), प्रथम-पुरुष (3rd person), एकवचन; आत्मनेपद

• phalam: fruit/result
• phalam: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: phala (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया-विभक्ति (Nom./Acc.), एकवचन

• dṛṣṭena: by (its) being seen
• dṛṣṭena: Karana (Instrument/करण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: dṛṣṭa (कृदन्त; √dṛś)
• Form: तृतीया-विभक्ति (Instrumental), एकवचन; भूतकृदन्त (past passive participle)

• anena: by this
• anena: Karana (Instrument/करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: idam (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, तृतीया-विभक्ति (Instrumental), एकवचन

• tat: that
• tat: Visheshana (Qualifier)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: tad (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया-विभक्ति (Nom./Acc.), एकवचन; विशेषण (that)

• puṇyam: merit
• puṇyam: Karma/Phala (Object/result)
• Type: Noun
• Root: puṇya (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया-विभक्ति (Nom./Acc.), एकवचन

• pūjitena: by (its) being worshipped
• pūjitena: Karana (Instrument/करण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: pūjita (कृदन्त; √pūj)
• Form: तृतीया-विभक्ति (Instrumental), एकवचन; भूतकृदन्त (past passive participle)

• viśeṣataḥ: especially
• viśeṣataḥ: Kriya-vishesana (Adverbial)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: viśeṣatas (अव्यय)
• Form: क्रियाविशेषण (adverb)

Speaker

Gautama

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Hāṭakeśvara (and the manifested liṅga praised here)

Type: kshetra

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: (contextual) a king/pilgrims within the tīrtha-māhātmya narration

Visual Art Cues

Scene: Sage Gautama points out a manifested liṅga to pilgrims, explaining that its darśana equals the famed Hāṭakeśvara’s pātāla merit; devotees approach with offerings.

Characters & Entities

• Gautama
• Hāṭakeśvara
• Pātāla

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Darśana grants merit, but pūjā intensifies it; devotion expressed through worship amplifies tīrtha-phala.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

Hāṭakeśvara Liṅga-tīrtha, whose merit is compared to its mysterious Pātāla-abiding sanctity.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

Darśana (seeing the liṅga) and especially pūjā (formal worship) are recommended for attaining merit.