Skanda Purana — Nagara Khanda, Shloka 11

Devanagari script

सूत उवाच । ऋचीकतनयः पूर्वं जमदग्निरिति स्मृतः । हाटकेश्वरजे क्षेत्रे तत्रासीद्दग्धकल्मषः

Transliteration

sūta uvāca | ṛcīkatanayaḥ pūrvaṃ jamadagniriti smṛtaḥ | hāṭakeśvaraje kṣetre tatrāsīddagdhakalmaṣaḥ

Translation

Sūta dijo: «Antaño, el hijo de Ṛcīka era célebre con el nombre de Jamadagni. En el campo sagrado de Hāṭakeśvara moraba allí, como si sus culpas hubiesen sido consumidas por el fuego».

Word by Word

• सूतः: Sūta
• सूतः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: सूत (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन

• उवाच: said
• उवाच: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: वच् (धातु)
• Form: लिट्-लकार (Perfect), परस्मैपद, प्रथम-पुरुष, एकवचन

• ऋचीकतनयः: the son of Ṛcīka
• ऋचीकतनयः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: ऋचीक + तनय (प्रातिपदिक; समास)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन; षष्ठी-तत्पुरुष (ऋचीकस्य तनयः = 'son of Ṛcīka')

• पूर्वम्: formerly, earlier
• पूर्वम्: Kala-adhikarana (Time/कालाधिकरण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: पूर्व (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: अव्यय; कालवाचक क्रियाविशेषण (temporal adverb)

• जमदग्निः: Jamadagni
• जमदग्निः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: जमदग्नि (प्रातिपदिक; नाम)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन

• इति: thus, as
• इति: Sambandha (Quotative/इति)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: इति (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; उद्धरण-चिह्न/इत्यर्थक (quotative particle)

• स्मृतः: was known/called
• स्मृतः: Kriya (Predicate/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: स्मृत (स्मृ धातु, क्त-प्रत्यय; कृदन्त-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: भूतकर्मणि कृदन्त (Past Passive Participle), पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन; विधेय (predicate)

• हाटकेश्वरजे: in/at (the place) of Hāṭakeśvara
• हाटकेश्वरजे: Adhikarana (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: हाटकेश्वर + ज (प्रातिपदिक; समास)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, सप्तमी-विभक्ति (7th/Locative), एकवचन; षष्ठी-तत्पुरुष (हाटकेश्वरस्य जः = 'born of/pertaining to Hāṭakeśvara')

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

• तत्र: there
• तत्र: Desha-adhikarana (Place/देशाधिकरण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: तत्र (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; देशवाचक क्रियाविशेषण (locative adverb)

• आसीत्: was/existed
• आसीत्: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: अस् (धातु)
• Form: लङ्-लकार (Imperfect), परस्मैपद, प्रथम-पुरुष, एकवचन

• दग्धकल्मषः: one whose sins were burnt (purified)
• दग्धकल्मषः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: दग्ध + कल्मष (प्रातिपदिक; समास)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन; कर्मधारय (दग्धं कल्मषं यस्य/दग्ध-कल्मषः = 'whose sin is burnt/one with burnt impurity')

Speaker

Sūta

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Hāṭakeśvara-kṣetra

Type: kshetra

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: Ṛṣis

Visual Art Cues

Scene: Jamadagni, son of Ṛcīka, seated in an āśrama within the Hāṭakeśvara sacred field; the landscape itself appears luminous, suggesting sins ‘burnt away’.

Characters & Entities

• Sūta
• Jamadagni
• Ṛcīka
• Hāṭakeśvara
• Hāṭakeśvara-kṣetra

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

A true kṣetra purifies: residence and righteous living in a sanctified place is portrayed as burning away impurity.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

Hāṭakeśvara-kṣetra (the sacred field associated with Hāṭakeśvara).

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

No explicit rite is stated; the verse implies the purifying power of dwelling in the kṣetra with dharmic conduct.