Skanda Purana — Nagara Khanda, Shloka 121

Devanagari script

हाटकेश्वरजे क्षेत्रे यत्र देवः स्वयं हरः । तत्र नागबिलो जातो वल्मीकात्त्रिदशाधिप

Transliteration

hāṭakeśvaraje kṣetre yatra devaḥ svayaṃ haraḥ | tatra nāgabilo jāto valmīkāttridaśādhipa

Translation

En el campo sagrado de Hāṭakeśvara—donde el propio Hara (Śiva) está presente—allí surgió, desde un hormiguero, el Nāgabila, la caverna de las serpientes, oh señor de los dioses.

Word by Word

• हाटकेश्वरजे: in the Hāṭakeśvara-born/connected (sacred)
• हाटकेश्वरजे: Adhikarana (Locus-qualifier/अधिकरण-विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: हाटकेश्वर (प्रातिपदिक) + ज (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, सप्तमी (7th), एकवचन; ‘हाटकेश्वरात् जात’ इति अर्थे; विशेषण (qualifying ‘क्षेत्रे’)

• क्षेत्रे: in the sacred field; in the region
• क्षेत्रे: Adhikarana (Locus/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: क्षेत्र (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, सप्तमी (7th), एकवचन

• यत्र: where
• यत्र: Sambandha (Relative locator/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: यत्र (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय (देशवाचक relative adverb) = ‘where’

• देवः: the god
• देवः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: देव (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st), एकवचन

• स्वयम्: himself
• स्वयम्: Sambandha (Emphasis/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: स्वयम् (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय (emphatic adverb) = ‘himself’

• हरः: Hara (Śiva)
• हरः: Karta (Apposition/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: हर (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st), एकवचन

• तत्र: there
• तत्र: Sambandha (Locator/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: तत्र (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय (देशवाचक) = ‘there’

• नागबिलः: Nāga-hole; serpent-cave
• नागबिलः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: नाग (प्रातिपदिक) + बिल (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st), एकवचन; ‘नागानां बिलम्’ इति; नामरूपेण

• जातः: was born; arose
• जातः: Kriya (Predicate/क्रिया-भाव)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: √जन् (धातु)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st), एकवचन; क्त-प्रत्ययान्त (PPP) = ‘born/produced’

• वल्मीकात्: from an anthill
• वल्मीकात्: Apadana (Source/अपादान)
• Type: Noun
• Root: वल्मीक (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, पञ्चमी (5th/अपादान), एकवचन

• त्रिदशाधिप: O lord of the thirty gods (Indra)
• त्रिदशाधिप: Sambodhana (Address/सम्बोधन)
• Type: Noun
• Root: त्रिदश (प्रातिपदिक) + अधिप (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, संबोधन (8th), एकवचन

Speaker

Divine voice (Ākāśavāṇī)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Hāṭakeśvara-kṣetra; Nāgabila

Type: kshetra

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: Śakra (Indra)

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A sacred field with a prominent anthill; from it, a dark, rounded cave-mouth (Nāgabila) appears, ringed by serpentine motifs; an unseen but palpable Śiva-presence sanctifies the scene.

Characters & Entities

• Hāṭakeśvara
• Hara (Śiva)
• Nāgabila
• Valmīka (anthill)
• Tridaśādhipa (Indra)

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

When Śiva is self-present in a kṣetra, even a humble anthill can become a gateway of grace and purification.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

Hāṭakeśvara-kṣetra and its Nāgabila (serpent-cavern) are explicitly identified.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

Not yet; the verse identifies the place and the sacred feature (Nāgabila) that will be used for the rite.