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

Dans le kṣetra sacré de Hāṭakeśvara—où Hara (Śiva) lui-même est présent—là est né, d’une termitière, le Nāgabila, la caverne des serpents, ô seigneur des dieux.

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.