Skanda Purana — Nagara Khanda, Shloka 122

Devanagari script

येन नागा धरापृष्ठे निर्गच्छंति व्रजंति च । तेन मार्गेण गत्वा त्वं पाताले हाटकेश्वरम् । स्नात्वा पातालगंगायां पूजयस्व महेश्वरम्

Transliteration

yena nāgā dharāpṛṣṭhe nirgacchaṃti vrajaṃti ca | tena mārgeṇa gatvā tvaṃ pātāle hāṭakeśvaram | snātvā pātālagaṃgāyāṃ pūjayasva maheśvaram

Translation

Par le même chemin par lequel les nāgas surgissent à la surface de la terre et y retournent, emprunte cette voie vers Hāṭakeśvara, en Pātāla. Après t’être baigné dans la Gaṅgā de Pātāla, adore Maheśvara.

Word by Word

• येन: by which; through which
• येन: Karana (Instrument/करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: यद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुं/नपुंसक, तृतीया (3rd/करण), एकवचन; सम्बन्धसूचक (relative)

• नागाः: serpents; nāgas
• नागाः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: नाग (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st), बहुवचन

• धरापृष्ठे: on the earth’s surface
• धरापृष्ठे: Adhikarana (Locus/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: धरा (प्रातिपदिक) + पृष्ठ (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, सप्तमी (7th), एकवचन; ‘धरायाः पृष्ठम्’

• निर्गच्छन्ति: go out; emerge
• निर्गच्छन्ति: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: निर्-√गम् (धातु)
• Form: लट् (Present), परस्मैपद, प्रथमपुरुष (3rd), बहुवचन

• व्रजन्ति: go; proceed
• व्रजन्ति: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: √व्रज् (धातु)
• Form: लट् (Present), परस्मैपद, प्रथमपुरुष (3rd), बहुवचन

• च: and
• च: Sambandha (Connector/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: च (अव्यय)
• Form: समुच्चयार्थक अव्यय (conjunction)

• तेन: by that; through that
• तेन: Karana (Instrument/करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: तद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुं/नपुंसक, तृतीया (3rd/करण), एकवचन

• मार्गेण: by the path; along the route
• मार्गेण: Karana (Instrument/करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: मार्ग (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, तृतीया (3rd/करण), एकवचन

• गत्वा: having gone
• गत्वा: Purvakala (Prior action/पूर्वकाल)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: √गम् (धातु)
• Form: क्त्वान्त अव्यय (gerund) = having gone

• त्वम्: you
• त्वम्: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: त्वद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: प्रथमा (1st), एकवचन

• पाताले: in the netherworld
• पाताले: Adhikarana (Locus/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: पाताल (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, सप्तमी (7th), एकवचन

• हाटकेश्वरम्: Hāṭakeśvara (Śiva)
• हाटकेश्वरम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: हाटकेश्वर (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd/कर्म), एकवचन

• स्नात्वा: having bathed
• स्नात्वा: Purvakala (Prior action/पूर्वकाल)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: √स्ना (धातु)
• Form: क्त्वान्त अव्यय (gerund) = having bathed

• पातालगंगायाम्: in the Pātāla-Gaṅgā
• पातालगंगायाम्: Adhikarana (Locus/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: पाताल (प्रातिपदिक) + गङ्गा (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, सप्तमी (7th), एकवचन; ‘पाताले स्थितायां गङ्गायाम्’

• पूजयस्व: worship
• पूजयस्व: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: √पूज् (धातु)
• Form: लोट् (Imperative), आत्मनेपद, मध्यमपुरुष (2nd), एकवचन

• महेश्वरम्: Maheśvara (Śiva)
• महेश्वरम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: महेश्वर (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd), एकवचन

Speaker

Divine voice (Ākāśavāṇī)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Pātāla-Gaṅgā; Hāṭakeśvara (Pātāla)

Type: sangam

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: Śakra (Indra)

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A dramatic descent through a serpent-cavern; nāgas moving along the same corridor; below, a luminous subterranean river (Pātāla-Gaṅgā) and a Śiva shrine of Hāṭakeśvara where Indra performs snāna and then pūjā.

Characters & Entities

• Nāgas
• Dharāpṛṣṭha (earth’s surface)
• Pātāla
• Hāṭakeśvara
• Pātāla-Gaṅgā
• Maheśvara (Śiva)

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Purification is attained by approaching Śiva in the rightly revealed place and performing snāna and pūjā with obedience and faith.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

Hāṭakeśvara in Pātāla and the Pātāla-Gaṅgā are the central tīrthas, accessed via the Nāgabila path.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

Travel by the Nāga-path to Pātāla, bathe in Pātāla-Gaṅgā, and worship Maheśvara (Śiva) at Hāṭakeśvara.