Skanda Purana — Nagara Khanda, Shloka 18

Devanagari script

इन्द्र उवाच । हाटकेश्वरजे क्षेत्रे महान्नागबिलः स्थितः । तेन गत्वा नरा देवं पाताले हाटकेश्वरम्

Transliteration

indra uvāca | hāṭakeśvaraje kṣetre mahānnāgabilaḥ sthitaḥ | tena gatvā narā devaṃ pātāle hāṭakeśvaram

Translation

ઇન્દ્ર બોલ્યા—હાટકેશ્વરના ક્ષેત્રમાં એક મહાન નાગબિલ સ્થિત છે. ત્યાં જઈને લોકો પાતાળસ્થ દેવ હાટકેશ્વરના દર્શન પામે છે.

Word by Word

• indraḥ: Indra
• indraḥ: Karta (Speaker/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: indra (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुल्लिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st), एकवचन

• uvāca: said
• uvāca: Kriyā (Main verb/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: √vac (धातु)
• Form: लिट् (perfect), प्रथमपुरुष, एकवचन, परस्मैपद

• hāṭakeśvaraje: in the Hāṭakeśvara-related
• hāṭakeśvaraje: Adhikaraṇa (Location qualifier/अधिकरण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: hāṭakeśvara + ja (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग/पुल्लिङ्ग (क्षेत्रे इति नपुंसक-सप्तमी), सप्तमी (7th/locative), एकवचन; तत्पुरुषः (हाटकेश्वरात् जातम्/हाटकेश्वरसम्बन्धि) विशेषणम् (kṣetre)

• kṣetre: in the sacred field
• kṣetre: Adhikaraṇa (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: kṣetra (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, सप्तमी (7th), एकवचन

• mahān: great
• mahān: Karta (Qualifier of subject/कर्ता-विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: mahat (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुल्लिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st), एकवचन; विशेषणम् (nāgabilaḥ)

• nāga-bilaḥ: serpent-cave
• nāga-bilaḥ: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: nāga + bila (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुल्लिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st), एकवचन; तत्पुरुषः (नागस्य बिलः)

• sthitaḥ: situated, located
• sthitaḥ: Karta (Predicate adjective/कर्ता-विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: sthita (कृदन्त-प्रातिपदिक) < √sthā (धातु)
• Form: क्त-प्रत्ययान्त (PPP), पुल्लिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st), एकवचन; विधेय-विशेषणम् (is situated)

• tena: by that; through it
• tena: Karaṇa (Means/करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: tad (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: सर्वनाम, तृतीया (3rd/instrumental), एकवचन

• gatvā: having gone
• gatvā: Kriyā (Gerundial subordinate action/पूर्वक्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: √gam (धातु)
• Form: क्त्वा-प्रत्ययान्त अव्यय-कृदन्त (gerund), पूर्वकालिक क्रिया (having gone)

• narāḥ: people, men
• narāḥ: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: nara (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुल्लिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st), बहुवचन

• devam: the god
• devam: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: deva (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुल्लिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd), एकवचन

• pātāle: in the netherworld
• pātāle: Adhikaraṇa (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: pātāla (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, सप्तमी (7th), एकवचन

• hāṭakeśvaram: Hāṭakeśvara
• hāṭakeśvaram: Karma (Apposition to object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: hāṭakeśvara (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुल्लिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd), एकवचन; देवस्य विशेष-नाम

Speaker

Indra

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Hāṭakeśvara-kṣetra Nāga-bila

Type: cave

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: Himācala (Himālaya)

Visual Art Cues

Scene: Indra points out (or describes) the Hāṭakeśvara-kṣetra where a vast serpent-cavern yawns; within, a descending path glows with nāga-jewels leading to Pātāla, where Hāṭakeśvara is enshrined.

Characters & Entities

• Indra
• Hāṭakeśvara
• Hāṭakeśvara-kṣetra
• Nāga-bila
• Pātāla

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

The Lord can be approached through sanctified geography; tīrthas become gateways to divine presence beyond ordinary realms.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

Hāṭakeśvara-kṣetra and its great Nāga-bila, associated with access to Hāṭakeśvara in Pātāla.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

Implicit pilgrimage instruction: ‘go there’ (tatra gatvā) to attain contact/darśana of Hāṭakeśvara; no specific rite is detailed in this verse.