Skanda Purana — Nagara Khanda, Shloka 9

Devanagari script

सूत उवाच कुरुक्षेत्रमिति ख्यातं प्रथमं क्षेत्रमुत्तमम् । हाटकेश्वरजं क्षेत्रं द्वितीयं परिकीर्तितम्

Transliteration

sūta uvāca kurukṣetramiti khyātaṃ prathamaṃ kṣetramuttamam | hāṭakeśvarajaṃ kṣetraṃ dvitīyaṃ parikīrtitam

Translation

സൂതൻ പറഞ്ഞു—‘കുരുക്ഷേത്രം’ എന്നു പ്രസിദ്ധമായത് ആദ്യവും പരമോത്തമവുമായ ക്ഷേത്രം. ഹാടകേശ്വരജന്യമായ (ഹാടകേശ്വരബന്ധമായ) ക്ഷേത്രം രണ്ടാമതായി കീർത്തിക്കപ്പെടുന്നു.

Word by Word

• सूतः: Sūta (the narrator)
• सूतः: Karta (Speaker/Subject)
• Type: Noun
• Root: सूत (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति (Nominative), एकवचन

• उवाच: said
• उवाच: Kriya (Main verb)
• Type: Verb
• Root: वच् (धातु)
• Form: लिट्-लकार (Perfect), प्रथम-पुरुष, एकवचन, परस्मैपद

• कुरुक्षेत्रम्: Kurukṣetra
• कुरुक्षेत्रम्: Karta/Pratipādya (Subject complement)
• Type: Noun
• Root: कुरु-क्षेत्र (प्रातिपदिक; समास)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति (Nominative), एकवचन; षष्ठी-तत्पुरुष (कुरूणां क्षेत्रम्)

• इति: thus/so called
• इति: Sambandha (Quotation marker)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: इति (अव्यय)
• Form: उद्धरण-निपात (quotative particle)

• ख्यातम्: is renowned/known
• ख्यातम्: Visheshana (Predicate adjective)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: ख्या (धातु) + क्त (कृदन्त)
• Form: क्त-प्रत्ययान्त भूतकर्मणि कृदन्त (past passive participle), नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया, एकवचन

• प्रथमम्: first
• प्रथमम्: Visheshana (Qualifier of kṣetram)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: प्रथम (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया, एकवचन

• क्षेत्रम्: sacred field/place
• क्षेत्रम्: Karta/Pratipādya (Subject)
• Type: Noun
• Root: क्षेत्र (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति (Nominative), एकवचन

• उत्तमम्: excellent/supreme
• उत्तमम्: Visheshana (Qualifier of kṣetram)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: उत्तम (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया, एकवचन

• हाटकेश्वरजम्: arising from/connected with Hāṭakeśvara
• हाटकेश्वरजम्: Visheshana (Qualifier of kṣetram)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: हाटकेश्वर-ज (प्रातिपदिक; समास)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया, एकवचन; पञ्चमी/षष्ठी-तत्पुरुषार्थः (हाटकेश्वरात्/हाटकेश्वरस्य जातम्)

• क्षेत्रम्: sacred field/place
• क्षेत्रम्: Karta/Pratipādya (Subject)
• Type: Noun
• Root: क्षेत्र (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति (Nominative), एकवचन

• द्वितीयम्: second
• द्वितीयम्: Visheshana (Qualifier of kṣetram)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: द्वितीय (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया, एकवचन

• परिकीर्तितम्: is proclaimed/declared
• परिकीर्तितम्: Visheshana (Predicate adjective)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: परि-कीर्त् (धातु) + क्त (कृदन्त)
• Form: क्त-प्रत्ययान्त भूतकर्मणि कृदन्त (past passive participle), नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया, एकवचन

Speaker

Sūta

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Kurukṣetra; Hāṭakeśvara-kṣetra

Type: kshetra

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: dvija-sattamāḥ (assembled brāhmaṇa sages)

Visual Art Cues

Scene: Sūta, seated in a forest-assembly of sages, proclaims the foremost kṣetras—Kurukṣetra first, then the Śaiva Hāṭakeśvara-kṣetra—framed as a sacred geography map in speech.

Characters & Entities

• Sūta
• Kurukṣetra
• Hāṭakeśvara

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Purāṇic dharma ranks and maps sacred regions; knowing the principal kṣetras guides pilgrimage toward high merit and purification.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

Kurukṣetra is explicitly praised as the first and best kṣetra; a second kṣetra associated with Hāṭakeśvara is also named.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

No explicit rite in this verse; it establishes the authoritative list of kṣetras that later verses connect with darśana and snāna.