Skanda Purana — Nagara Khanda, Shloka 7

Devanagari script

अट्टहासे महानादं महेन्द्रे च महाव्रतम् । उज्जयिन्यां महाकालं मरुकोटे महोत्कटम्

Transliteration

aṭṭahāse mahānādaṃ mahendre ca mahāvratam | ujjayinyāṃ mahākālaṃ marukoṭe mahotkaṭam

Translation

At Aṭṭahāsa, I am Mahānāda; at Mahendra, Mahāvrata; in Ujjayinī, Mahākāla; and at Marukoṭa, Mahotkaṭa.

Word by Word

• aṭṭahāse: in Aṭṭahāsa
• aṭṭahāse: Adhikarana (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: aṭṭa-hāsa (प्रातिपदिक; aṭṭa + hāsa)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, सप्तमी (7th/Locative), एकवचन; तत्पुरुष-समास (अट्टः हासः/अट्टहासः—स्थाननाम)

• mahānādam: Mahānāda (great-sounding; epithet)
• mahānādam: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: mahā-nāda (प्रातिपदिक; mahā + nāda)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd/Accusative), एकवचन; कर्मधारय-समास

• mahendre: in Mahendra
• mahendre: Adhikarana (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: mahā-indra (प्रातिपदिक; mahā + indra)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, सप्तमी (7th/Locative), एकवचन; कर्मधारय-समास; स्थान/देव-नाम

• ca: and
• ca: Sambandha (Connector/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: ca (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; समुच्चयार्थक (and)

• mahāvratam: Mahāvrata (great vow; epithet)
• mahāvratam: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: mahā-vrata (प्रातिपदिक; mahā + vrata)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd/Accusative), एकवचन; कर्मधारय-समास

• ujjayinyām: in Ujjayinī
• ujjayinyām: Adhikarana (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: ujjayinī (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, सप्तमी (7th/Locative), एकवचन

• mahākālam: Mahākāla
• mahākālam: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: mahā-kāla (प्रातिपदिक; mahā + kāla)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd/Accusative), एकवचन; कर्मधारय-समास

• marukoṭe: in Marukoṭa
• marukoṭe: Adhikarana (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: maru-koṭa (प्रातिपदिक; maru + koṭa)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, सप्तमी (7th/Locative), एकवचन; तत्पुरुष-समास (मरूनां कोटः/कोटिः—स्थाननाम)

• mahotkaṭam: Mahotkaṭa (very formidable; epithet)
• mahotkaṭam: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: mahā-utkaṭa (प्रातिपदिक; mahā + utkaṭa)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd/Accusative), एकवचन; कर्मधारय-समास

Speaker

Īśvara (Śiva)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Ujjayinī (explicit) and Aṭṭahāsa/Mahendra/Marukoṭa (as listed)

Type: kshetra

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: Śrī Devī

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A powerful sequence of Śiva-forms: at Aṭṭahāsa a resonant, roaring Mahānāda; at Mahendra a mountain-austere Mahāvrata; at Ujjayinī the iconic Mahākāla shrine; at Marukoṭa a fierce Mahotkaṭa—pilgrims in awe.

Characters & Entities

• Aṭṭahāsa
• Mahendra
• Ujjayinī (Ujjain)
• Marukoṭa
• Mahānāda
• Mahāvrata
• Mahākāla
• Mahotkaṭa

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Śiva’s epithets reveal the spiritual identity of each sacred place, guiding pilgrims toward place-appropriate devotion.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

Ujjayinī (Ujjain) is directly highlighted through the famed name Mahākāla, alongside Aṭṭahāsa, Mahendra, and Marukoṭa.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

Implied: worship and recitation of the corresponding Śiva-name at each location—especially Mahākāla at Ujjayinī.