Skanda Purana — Nagara Khanda, Shloka 17

Devanagari script

तीर्थयात्राकृतारंभः कुन्तीपुत्रो धनंजयः । हाटकेश्वरजे क्षेत्रे समायातो द्विजोत्तमाः

Transliteration

tīrthayātrākṛtāraṃbhaḥ kuntīputro dhanaṃjayaḥ | hāṭakeśvaraje kṣetre samāyāto dvijottamāḥ

Translation

Nachdem er die Pilgerfahrt zu den heiligen Tīrthas begonnen hatte, gelangte Dhanaṁjaya (Arjuna), der Sohn Kuntīs, in das heilige Gebiet von Hāṭakeśvara, o Bester der Zweimalgeborenen.

Word by Word

• तीर्थयात्राकृतारम्भः: one who has begun a pilgrimage
• तीर्थयात्राकृतारम्भः: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: तीर्थ + यात्रा + कृत + आरम्भ (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन; बहुपद-तत्पुरुषः (तीर्थयात्रायाः कृतः आरम्भः यस्य)

• कुन्तीपुत्रः: Kuntī's son
• कुन्तीपुत्रः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: कुन्ती + पुत्र (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन; षष्ठी-तत्पुरुषः (कुन्त्याः पुत्रः)

• धनंजयः: Dhanañjaya (Arjuna)
• धनंजयः: Apposition (समानाधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: धनंजय (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन

• हाटकेश्वरजे: belonging to/connected with Hāṭakeśvara
• हाटकेश्वरजे: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: हाटकेश्वर + ज (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, सप्तमी, एकवचन; विशेषण (qualifying kṣetra); तत्पुरुषः (हाटकेश्वरात् जातम्/सम्बद्धम्)

• क्षेत्रे: in the sacred field/place
• क्षेत्रे: Adhikarana (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: क्षेत्र (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, सप्तमी, एकवचन

• समायातः: arrived
• समायातः: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: सम् + आ + या (धातु) + क्त (कृदन्त)
• Form: भूतकर्मणि/कर्तरि कृदन्त (past participle/क्त); पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन; कर्तरि प्रयोगे 'having come/arrived'

• द्विजोत्तमाः: O best of the twice-born
• द्विजोत्तमाः: Sambodhana/Address (Vocative sense)
• Type: Noun
• Root: द्विज + उत्तम (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, बहुवचन; कर्मधारयः; संबोधनार्थे (vocative sense: addressing audience)

Speaker

Skanda (deduced from Nāgara Khaṇḍa Tīrthamāhātmya narration style)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Hāṭakeśvara-kṣetra

Type: kshetra

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: Dvija-uttamāḥ (addressed)

Visual Art Cues

Scene: Arjuna, bow on shoulder, arrives at Hāṭakeśvara-kṣetra with a small retinue; brāhmaṇas greet him; the kṣetra’s shrines and sacred markers appear in the background, signaling the start of a significant tīrtha episode.

Characters & Entities

• Arjuna (Dhanaṁjaya)
• Kuntī
• Hāṭakeśvara Kṣetra
• Tīrtha-yātrā

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Even heroic figures uphold dharma through tīrtha-yātrā, modeling pilgrimage as a sanctifying discipline.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

Hāṭakeśvara-kṣetra, introduced as Arjuna’s pilgrimage destination within Nāgara Khaṇḍa, Adhyāya 60.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

No specific rite; the verse establishes the pilgrimage setting and the arrival at Hāṭakeśvara-kṣetra.