Skanda Purana — Nagara Khanda, Shloka 12

Devanagari script

हाटकेश्वरजं क्षेत्रं त्यक्त्वा तीर्थमयं शुभम् । कस्मादत्र समायाता हिमार्तिजनके गिरौ

Transliteration

hāṭakeśvarajaṃ kṣetraṃ tyaktvā tīrthamayaṃ śubham | kasmādatra samāyātā himārtijanake girau

Translation

«Ayant quitté l’auspicieux domaine sacré de Hāṭakeśvara, abondant en tīrthas, pourquoi êtes-vous venus ici, sur cette montagne qui fait naître la souffrance du froid ?»

Word by Word

• हाटकेश्वरजम्: pertaining to Hāṭakeśvara
• हाटकेश्वरजम्: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: हाटकेश्वरज (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd/द्वितीया), एकवचन — Accusative Singular; (हाटकेश्वर + ज) ‘born of/pertaining to Hāṭakeśvara’

• क्षेत्रम्: the sacred region/field
• क्षेत्रम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: क्षेत्र (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd/द्वितीया), एकवचन — Accusative Singular

• त्यक्त्वा: having left
• त्यक्त्वा: Purvakala-kriya (Prior action)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: त्यज् (धातु)
• Form: क्त्वान्त (absolutive/gerund) — ‘having abandoned’

• तीर्थमयम्: full of sacred fords
• तीर्थमयम्: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: तीर्थमय (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया, एकवचन — Accusative Singular; (तीर्थ + मय) ‘consisting of/filled with tīrthas’

• शुभम्: auspicious
• शुभम्: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: शुभ (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया, एकवचन — Accusative Singular; विशेषणम् (qualifying ‘क्षेत्रम्’)

• कस्मात्: from what cause?/why
• कस्मात्: Hetu/Apadana (Cause/Source)
• Type: Noun
• Root: किम् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुं/नपुंसक, पञ्चमी (5th/पञ्चमी), एकवचन — Ablative Singular; प्रश्नवाचक

• अत्र: here
• अत्र: Adhikarana (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: अत्र (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय (adverb of place)

• समायाताः: (you all) have come/arrived
• समायाताः: Kriya (Predicative participle)
• Type: Verb
• Root: सम् + आ + या (धातु) → समायात (कृदन्त-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: भूतकृदन्त (past active participle), पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/प्रथमा), बहुवचन — Nom. Pl.; used predicatively (‘have come’)

• हिमार्तिजनके: in the cold-causing (place)
• हिमार्तिजनके: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: हिमार्तिजनक (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, सप्तमी (7th/सप्तमी), एकवचन — Locative Singular; (हिम + आर्ति + जनक) ‘producing distress by snow/cold’

• गिरौ: on the mountain
• गिरौ: Adhikarana (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: गिरि (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, सप्तमी (7th/सप्तमी), एकवचन — Locative Singular

Speaker

Indra

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Hāṭakeśvara-kṣetra (referenced)

Type: kshetra

Visual Art Cues

Scene: Indra gestures toward a bleak, wind-swept mountain while referencing the lush, auspicious Hāṭakeśvara-kṣetra left behind; brāhmaṇas stand wrapped in simple cloaks, suggesting cold and endurance.

Characters & Entities

• Indra
• Hāṭakeśvara-kṣetra
• giri (mountain)

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Pilgrimage is purposeful: leaving one sacred kṣetra for another should be guided by dharma and divine intent, not whim.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

Hāṭakeśvara-kṣetra is identified as an auspicious region rich in tīrthas; the destination mountain is described as intensely cold.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

No direct prescription; it introduces the tīrtha-journey context by contrasting two locations.