Skanda Purana — Nagara Khanda, Shloka 40

Devanagari script

नलेश्वरं तु मध्येशं केदारं रुद्रजालकम् । सुवर्णाख्यं च वामोरु तथान्यत्षष्टिकापथम्

Transliteration

naleśvaraṃ tu madhyeśaṃ kedāraṃ rudrajālakam | suvarṇākhyaṃ ca vāmoru tathānyatṣaṣṭikāpatham

Translation

നലേശ്വരം, മധ്യേശം, കേദാരം, രുദ്രജാലകം എന്നിവയും ഉണ്ട്; ഹേ സുന്ദര-ഊരു ദേവീ, സുവർണാഖ്യം കൂടാതെ ‘ഷഷ്ടികാപഥം’ എന്ന മറ്റൊരു തീർത്ഥവും ഉണ്ട്.

Word by Word

• नलेश्वरम्: Naleśvara
• नलेश्वरम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: नलेश्वर (प्रातिपदिक; नल + ईश्वर)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति, एकवचन; समासः—षष्ठी-तत्पुरुष (नलस्य ईश्वरः)

• तु: but/indeed
• तु: Sambandha (Particle/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: तु (अव्यय)
• Form: निपात (particle), विरोध/विशेषार्थे (but/indeed)

• मध्येशम्: Madhyeśa
• मध्येशम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: मध्येश (प्रातिपदिक; मध्य + ईश)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति, एकवचन; समासः—षष्ठी-तत्पुरुष (मध्यस्य ईशः)

• केदारम्: Kedāra
• केदारम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: केदार (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति, एकवचन

• रुद्रजालकम्: Rudra-jālaka (Rudra’s net/cluster)
• रुद्रजालकम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: रुद्रजालक (प्रातिपदिक; रुद्र + जालक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति, एकवचन; समासः—तत्पुरुष (रुद्रस्य जालकम्/जालम्)

• सुवर्णाख्यम्: named ‘Suvarṇa’/gold-named
• सुवर्णाख्यम्: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: सुवर्णाख्य (प्रातिपदिक; सुवर्ण + आख्य)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति, एकवचन; विशेषण; समासः—तत्पुरुष (सुवर्णम् आख्या यस्य/सुवर्ण-नामक)

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

• वामोरु: O fair-thighed one
• वामोरु: Sambodhana (Address/सम्बोधन)
• Type: Noun
• Root: वामोरु (प्रातिपदिक; वामा + ऊरु)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, सम्बोधन-विभक्ति (Vocative), एकवचन; समासः—कर्मधारय (वामा ऊरू यस्याः/सुन्दर-ऊरु)

• तथा: likewise
• तथा: Sambandha (Adverbial/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: तथा (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय (adverb), समुच्चयार्थे (also/likewise)

• अन्यत्: another
• अन्यत्: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: अन्य (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति, एकवचन; विशेषण (qualifier of following noun)

• षष्टिकापथम्: Ṣaṣṭikā-path (path of Ṣaṣṭikā)
• षष्टिकापथम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: षष्टिकापथ (प्रातिपदिक; षष्टिका + पथ)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति, एकवचन; समासः—तत्पुरुष (षष्टिकायाः पथः)

Speaker

Īśvara (Śiva) [deduced from immediate chapter context of Devī–Īśvara dialogue in Tīrthamāhātmya]

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Aṣṭaṣaṣṭi-tīrtha (68-tīrtha set) within Hāṭakeśvara-kṣetra māhātmya

Type: kshetra

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: Pārvatī (addressed as ‘vāmoru’)

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A procession of pilgrims moving from one liṅga-shrine to another: six small shrines/markers labeled Naleśvara, Madhyeśa, Kedāra, Rudrajālaka, Suvarṇākhya, and a road/stepped path labeled Ṣaṣṭikāpatha; Pārvatī listens as Śiva indicates the route.

Characters & Entities

• Naleśvara
• Madhyeśa
• Kedāra
• Rudrajālaka
• Suvarṇākhya
• Devī (Vāmoru)
• Ṣaṣṭikāpatha

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

The verse celebrates sacred geography by naming multiple Śaiva tīrthas, implying that remembrance and visitation of such places supports dharma and spiritual uplift.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

A cluster of tīrthas within Hāṭakeśvara-kṣetra is listed: Naleśvara, Madhyeśa, Kedāra, Rudrajālaka, Suvarṇākhya, and Ṣaṣṭikāpatha.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

No explicit ritual is stated here; the verse functions as a tīrtha-catalogue within the māhātmya context.