Skanda Purana — Nagara Khanda, Shloka 59

Devanagari script

शतानन्द उवाच । तातांबा बहुधा प्रोक्ता तपसः संनिवर्तने । नो गच्छति तथा हर्म्यमदृष्टे हाटकेश्वरे

Transliteration

śatānanda uvāca | tātāṃbā bahudhā proktā tapasaḥ saṃnivartane | no gacchati tathā harmyamadṛṣṭe hāṭakeśvare

Translation

ശതാനന്ദൻ പറഞ്ഞു—“പൂജ്യ പിതാവേ, മാതാവേ, തപസ്സു അവസാനിപ്പിക്കണമെന്ന് നിങ്ങൾ പലവട്ടം പറഞ്ഞു; എന്നാൽ ഹാടകേശ്വരനെ ദർശിക്കാതെ ഞാൻ വീട്ടിലേക്കു മടങ്ങുകയില്ല.”

Word by Word

• शतानन्दः: Śatānanda
• शतानन्दः: Karta (Speaker/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: śatānanda (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा एकवचन (Nom. sg.); व्यक्तिनाम

• उवाच: said
• उवाच: Karta (Speech act/कर्ता)
• Type: Verb
• Root: vac (धातु)
• Form: लिट् (परोक्ष-भूत/perfect), प्रथमपुरुष, एकवचन; परस्मैपद

• तात: dear father/sir
• तात: Sambodhana (Address/सम्बोधन)
• Type: Noun
• Root: tāta (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, सम्बोधन एकवचन (Voc. sg.)

• अम्बा: mother/lady
• अम्बा: Sambodhana (Address/सम्बोधन)
• Type: Noun
• Root: ambā (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, सम्बोधन एकवचन (Voc. sg.)

• बहुधा: many times
• बहुधा: Sambandha (Adverbial modifier/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: bahudhā (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; प्रकार/प्रकारबहुत्वबोधक (adverb: 'many times/in many ways')

• प्रोक्ता: (it was) said
• प्रोक्ता: Karta (Predicate/कर्तृ-विशेषण)
• Type: Verb
• Root: pra-√vac (धातु) + prokta (कृदन्त-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: भूतकृदन्त (क्त), स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा एकवचन; कर्मणि/भावे (said/declared)

• तपसः: of austerity
• तपसः: Sambandha (Genitive/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: tapas (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, षष्ठी एकवचन (Gen. sg.)

• संनिवर्तने: in the matter of returning/cessation
• संनिवर्तने: Adhikarana (Location/context/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: saṃnivartana (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, सप्तमी एकवचन (Loc. sg.)

• नः: not
• नः: Sambandha (Negation/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: na (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; निषेधार्थक-निपात (negative particle)

• गच्छति: goes
• गच्छति: Karta (Action/कर्ता)
• Type: Verb
• Root: gam (धातु)
• Form: लट् (वर्तमान), प्रथमपुरुष, एकवचन; परस्मैपद

• तथा: thus/so
• तथा: Sambandha (Adverbial modifier/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: tathā (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; प्रकारबोधक (thus/so)

• हर्म्यम्: to the mansion/home
• हर्म्यम्: Gati/Karma (Goal/object/गत्यर्थक-कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: harmya (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया एकवचन (Acc. sg.)

• अदृष्टे: when (he) has not seen
• अदृष्टे: Adhikarana (Locative absolute context/अधिकरण)
• Type: Verb
• Root: a-√dṛś (धातु) + adṛṣṭa (कृदन्त-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: भूतकृदन्त (क्त) 'अदृष्ट' (unseen); सप्तमी एकवचन (Loc. sg.); नपुंसकलिङ्ग/पुंलिङ्ग-रूपे (contextual locative absolute)

• हाटकेश्वरे: at Hāṭakeśvara
• हाटकेश्वरे: Adhikarana (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: hāṭakeśvara (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, सप्तमी एकवचन (Loc. sg.); देवस्थान/देवनाम

Speaker

Śatānanda

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Hāṭakeśvara

Type: kshetra

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: Parents (father and mother)

Visual Art Cues

Scene: Śatānanda, thin yet radiant with determination, addresses his parents respectfully, declaring he will not return home until he has seen Hāṭakeśvara.

Characters & Entities

• Śatānanda
• Hāṭakeśvara

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Steadfast devotion (niścaya) aimed at divine darśana is praised above comfort or premature withdrawal.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

Hāṭakeśvara—presented as a sacred Śaiva focus whose darśana is the goal of the narrative.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

Continuation of tapas until obtaining darśana; the emphasis is on vow-like perseverance rather than a specific external ritual.