Skanda Purana — Nagara Khanda, Shloka 23

Devanagari script

हाटकेश्वरजं क्षेत्रं तस्माद्गत्वा करोम्य हम् । पुरश्चरणसंज्ञं च येन शुद्धिः प्रजायते

Transliteration

hāṭakeśvarajaṃ kṣetraṃ tasmādgatvā karomya ham | puraścaraṇasaṃjñaṃ ca yena śuddhiḥ prajāyate

Translation

അതുകൊണ്ട് ഞാൻ ഹാടകേശ്വരന്റെ പുണ്യക്ഷേത്രത്തിലേക്ക് ചെന്നു ‘പുരശ്ചരണം’ എന്ന വിധി അനുഷ്ഠിക്കും; അതിലൂടെ ശുദ്ധി ഉദ്ഭവിക്കുന്നു।

Word by Word

• हाटकेश्वरजम्: born from/pertaining to Hāṭakeśvara
• हाटकेश्वरजम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: हाटकेश्वर + ज (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (कर्म), एकवचन; तत्पुरुष-समासः (हाटकेश्वरात् जातम्) — Neuter, Accusative, Singular; Tatpurusha compound

• क्षेत्रम्: sacred field; holy place
• क्षेत्रम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: क्षेत्र (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (कर्म), एकवचन — Neuter, Accusative, Singular

• तस्मात्: from that (place)
• तस्मात्: Apadana (Source/अपादान)
• Type: Noun
• Root: तद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग/नपुंसकलिङ्ग, पञ्चमी (अपादान), एकवचन — Pronoun, Ablative, Singular

• गत्वा: having gone
• गत्वा: Kriya (Gerundial action/पूर्वक्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: गम् (धातु)
• Form: क्त्वान्त-अव्ययकृदन्त (gerund), पूर्वकालिक क्रिया — Absolutive (having gone)

• करोमि: I do; I perform
• करोमि: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: कृ (धातु)
• Form: लट् (वर्तमान), उत्तमपुरुष, एकवचन, परस्मैपद — Present Indicative, 1st person, Singular

• अहम्: I
• अहम्: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: अहम् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: उत्तमपुरुष-सर्वनाम, प्रथमा (कर्ता), एकवचन — Pronoun, Nominative, Singular

• पुरश्चरणसंज्ञम्: called ‘puraścaraṇa’
• पुरश्चरणसंज्ञम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: पुरश्चरण + संज्ञा (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (कर्म), एकवचन; तत्पुरुष-समासः (पुरश्चरणस्य संज्ञा यस्य) — Neuter, Accusative, Singular; Tatpurusha compound

• च: and
• च: Sambandha (Connector/समुच्चय)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: च (अव्यय)
• Form: समुच्चय-अव्यय (conjunction) — Coordinative particle

• येन: by which
• येन: Karana (Instrument/करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: यद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, तृतीया (करण), एकवचन — Relative pronoun, Instrumental, Singular

• शुद्धिः: purification
• शुद्धिः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: शुद्धि (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (कर्ता), एकवचन — Feminine, Nominative, Singular

• प्रजायते: arises; is produced
• प्रजायते: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: प्र + जन् (धातु)
• Form: लट् (वर्तमान), प्रथमपुरुष, एकवचन, आत्मनेपद — Present Indicative, 3rd person, Singular, Ātmanepada

Speaker

Narrator reporting the man’s resolve (indirect speech)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Hāṭakeśvara-kṣetra

Type: kshetra

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A pilgrim-votary resolves to depart for Hāṭakeśvara-kṣetra, holding a water-pot and rosary, with a distant Śiva shrine marking the destination; the mood is disciplined and inward.

Characters & Entities

• Hāṭakeśvara

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

True repentance must mature into corrective action—seeking a holy kṣetra and undertaking disciplined practice for śuddhi (purification).

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

Hāṭakeśvara-kṣetra is explicitly named as the place to be approached for purification.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

Puraścaraṇa is prescribed—a disciplined regimen traditionally centered on mantra-japa along with supporting observances, undertaken for purification.