Skanda Purana — Nagara Khanda, Shloka 46

Devanagari script

ततः कृच्छ्रेण महता कुष्ठव्याधिसमाकुलः । हाटकेश्वरजे क्षेत्रे संप्राप्तः स द्विजोत्तमाः

Transliteration

tataḥ kṛcchreṇa mahatā kuṣṭhavyādhisamākulaḥ | hāṭakeśvaraje kṣetre saṃprāptaḥ sa dvijottamāḥ

Translation

Daraufhin gelangte jener vortreffliche Brāhmaṇa, von Aussatz gequält, nur unter großer Mühsal in das heilige Gebiet des Hāṭakeśvara.

Word by Word

• ततः: then/thereafter
• ततः: Desha-Kala (Time/काल)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: ततः (अव्यय; तद्-प्रातिपदिकात्)
• Form: अव्यय, काल/अनन्तर-अर्थे; adverb (then/thereafter)

• कृच्छ्रेण: with hardship
• कृच्छ्रेण: Karana (Instrument/करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: कृच्छ्र (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग (अथवा पुंलिङ्ग-प्रयोगः), तृतीया-विभक्ति, एकवचन; Instrumental (with difficulty)

• महता: great
• महता: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: महत् (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग/पुंलिङ्ग, तृतीया-विभक्ति, एकवचन; agrees with कृच्छ्रेण (great)

• कुष्ठव्याधिसमाकुलः: afflicted by leprosy/disease
• कुष्ठव्याधिसमाकुलः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: कुष्ठ (प्रातिपदिक) + व्याधि (प्रातिपदिक) + समाकुल (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन; तत्पुरुष (कुष्ठ-व्याधिभिः समाकुलः = afflicted with leprosy-disease)

• हाटकेश्वरजे: in/at Hāṭakeśvara-related
• हाटकेश्वरजे: Adhikarana (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: हाटकेश्वर (प्रातिपदिक) + ज (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, सप्तमी-विभक्ति, एकवचन; तत्पुरुष (हाटकेश्वरात् जात/सम्बद्ध) qualifying क्षेत्रे

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

• संप्राप्तः: arrived
• संप्राप्तः: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: सम् + प्र + आप् (धातु)
• Form: क्त-प्रत्ययान्त भूतकृदन्त (past passive participle), पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन; used predicatively (having arrived)

• सः: he
• सः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: तद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन; Pronoun

• द्विजोत्तमः: the best of the twice-born (brahmin)
• द्विजोत्तमः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: द्विज (प्रातिपदिक) + उत्तम (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन; तत्पुरुष (द्विजानाम् उत्तमः)

Speaker

Narrator (Purāṇic narrator within Tīrthamāhātmya context; specific speaker not stated in snippet)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Hāṭakeśvara-kṣetra

Type: kshetra

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: Not specified.

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A leprosy-stricken brāhmaṇa, exhausted, arrives at the boundary of Hāṭakeśvara-kṣetra—dusty road, staff in hand, body wrapped, eyes fixed on distant temple spires.

Characters & Entities

• Hāṭakeśvara
• kṣetra (sacred region)
• dvijottama (excellent brāhmaṇa)
• kuṣṭha (leprosy)

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Even severe bodily affliction does not obstruct dharma when one perseveres toward a sacred kṣetra.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

Hāṭakeśvara-kṣetra is named as a sanctified region within the Nāgarakhaṇḍa’s tīrtha landscape.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

No explicit ritual is stated; the act of reaching the kṣetra itself is foregrounded as spiritually meaningful.