Skanda Purana — Nagara Khanda, Shloka 4

Devanagari script

हाटकेश्वरजे क्षेत्रे यज्ञभागाप्तये सदा । अष्टम्यां शुक्लपक्षे तु मधुमासे व्यवस्थिते

Transliteration

hāṭakeśvaraje kṣetre yajñabhāgāptaye sadā | aṣṭamyāṃ śuklapakṣe tu madhumāse vyavasthite

Translation

ഹാടകേശ്വര പുണ്യക്ഷേത്രത്തിൽ, യജ്ഞഭാഗപ്രാപ്തിക്കായി, മധുമാസം വന്നപ്പോൾ ശുക്ലപക്ഷത്തിലെ അഷ്ടമിദിനത്തിൽ നിത്യവും വിധിപൂർവ്വം (ഈ അനുഷ്ഠാനം) ചെയ്യണം.

Word by Word

• hāṭakeśvaraje: in (the) Hāṭakeśvara-related
• hāṭakeśvaraje: Adhikarana (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: hāṭakeśvara (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुल्लिङ्ग (Masculine/Neuter stem used adjectivally), सप्तमी (7th/Locative), एकवचन (Singular) — ‘kṣetre’ इत्यस्य विशेषणम्; अर्थः ‘हाटकेश्वर-सम्बन्धिनि’

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

• yajña-bhāga-āptaye: for obtaining the sacrificial share
• yajña-bhāga-āptaye: Sampradana (Recipient/Goal/सम्प्रदान)
• Type: Noun
• Root: yajña (प्रातिपदिक) + bhāga (प्रातिपदिक) + āpti (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: तत्पुरुष-समास (षष्ठी: ‘यज्ञभागस्य आप्तिः’), स्त्रीलिङ्ग (Feminine), चतुर्थी (4th/Dative), एकवचन (Singular)

• sadā: always
• sadā: Kala (Time/काल)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: sadā (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय, कालवाचक क्रियाविशेषण (always)

• aṣṭamyām: on the eighth (tithi)
• aṣṭamyām: Kala (Time/काल)
• Type: Noun
• Root: aṣṭamī (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग (Feminine), सप्तमी (7th/Locative), एकवचन (Singular) — तिथिवाचक (on the eighth lunar day)

• śukla-pakṣe: in the bright fortnight
• śukla-pakṣe: Kala (Time/काल)
• Type: Noun
• Root: śukla (प्रातिपदिक) + pakṣa (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: कर्मधारय-समास (‘शुक्लः पक्षः’), पुल्लिङ्ग (Masculine), सप्तमी (7th/Locative), एकवचन (Singular)

• tu: indeed/but
• tu: Sambandha (Particle/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: tu (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय, अवधान/विरोध (but/indeed)

• madhu-māse: in the month of Madhu (spring month)
• madhu-māse: Kala (Time/काल)
• Type: Noun
• Root: madhu (प्रातिपदिक) + māsa (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: तत्पुरुष-समास (षष्ठी/विशेषण: ‘मधुनामकः मासः’), पुल्लिङ्ग (Masculine), सप्तमी (7th/Locative), एकवचन (Singular)

• vyavasthite: when (it is) duly set/occurring
• vyavasthite: Adhikarana (Location/Condition/अधिकरण)
• Type: Kridanta
• Root: vi-ava-√sthā (स्था धातु)
• Form: भूतकृदन्त (past passive participle, क्त), नपुंसकलिङ्ग (Neuter), सप्तमी (7th/Locative), एकवचन (Singular) — ‘(काले) व्यवस्थिते’ = when it is set/arranged

Speaker

Skanda (deduced from Nāgarakhaṇḍa Tīrthamāhātmya narration style)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Hāṭakeśvara-kṣetra

Type: kshetra

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: brāhmaṇa-śreṣṭha

Visual Art Cues

Scene: Springtime at Hāṭakeśvara-kṣetra: bright fortnight aṣṭamī moon, flowering trees, pilgrims preparing for observance near a shrine; a subtle yajña-symbolism (altar, ladles) indicates ‘yajña-bhāga’ attainment through tīrtha rite.

Characters & Entities

• Hāṭakeśvara-kṣetra
• Madhu-māsa
• Śukla-pakṣa
• Aṣṭamī

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Purāṇic dharma emphasizes right place and right time: a tīrtha and an auspicious tithi magnify spiritual merit.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

Hāṭakeśvara-kṣetra.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

Observance in Hāṭakeśvara-kṣetra on Śukla-pakṣa Aṣṭamī during Madhu-māsa for attaining yajña-related merit.