Skanda Purana — Nagara Khanda, Shloka 8

Devanagari script

चमत्कारपुरं क्षेत्रं स गत्वा पावनं महत् । तपस्तेपे वयोंऽते च ध्यायमानो महेश्वरम्

Transliteration

camatkārapuraṃ kṣetraṃ sa gatvā pāvanaṃ mahat | tapastepe vayoṃ'te ca dhyāyamāno maheśvaram

Translation

അവൻ മഹാപാവനമായ ചമത്കാരപുരം എന്ന ക്ഷേത്രഭൂമിയിലേക്കു ചെന്നു; ജീവിതാന്ത്യത്തിൽ മഹേശ്വരനെ ധ്യാനിച്ചുകൊണ്ട് തപസ്സു ചെയ്തു.

Word by Word

• चमत्कारपुरम्: Camatkārapura (town)
• चमत्कारपुरम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: चमत्कार + पुर (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd/Accusative), एकवचन; तत्पुरुष (चमत्कारस्य पुरम् / चमत्कार-पुरम्)

• क्षेत्रम्: sacred place, field
• क्षेत्रम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: क्षेत्र (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया, एकवचन

• सः: he
• सः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: तद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन

• गत्वा: having gone
• गत्वा: Purvakala-kriya (पूर्वक्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: गम् (धातु) + त्वा (अव्ययकृदन्त)
• Form: क्त्वान्त (absolutive/gerund), पूर्वकालिक क्रिया (having gone)

• पावनम्: purifying
• पावनम्: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: पावन (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया, एकवचन; विशेषण (क्षेत्रम्)

• महत्: great
• महत्: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: महत् (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया, एकवचन; विशेषण (क्षेत्रम्)

• तपः: austerity
• तपः: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: तपस् (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया, एकवचन

• तेपे: performed (did penance)
• तेपे: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: तप् (धातु)
• Form: लिट् (Perfect), प्रथमपुरुष, एकवचन

• वयः: in (his) age
• वयः: Adhikarana (Time/कालाधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: वयस् (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, सप्तमी, एकवचन (वयसि → वयः sandhi/poetic)

• अन्ते: at the end
• अन्ते: Adhikarana (Time/कालाधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: अन्त (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुं/नपुंसकलिङ्ग, सप्तमी, एकवचन

• च: and
• च: Samuccaya (Coordination/समुच्चय)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: च (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; समुच्चय (conjunction)

• ध्यायमानः: meditating
• ध्यायमानः: Karta (Agent/कर्ता)
• Type: Verb
• Root: ध्यै (धातु) + शानच् (कृदन्त)
• Form: वर्तमानकृदन्त (शानच्), पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन; कर्तरि (while meditating)

• महेश्वरम्: Maheśvara (Śiva)
• महेश्वरम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: महा + ईश्वर (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया, एकवचन; कर्मधारय (महान् ईश्वरः)

Speaker

Sūta

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Camatkārapura

Type: kshetra

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: Ṛṣis

Visual Art Cues

Scene: An aged king arrives at Camatkārapura, lays aside royal concerns, and sits in austere posture, eyes half-closed, meditating on Maheśvara amid a sanctified landscape.

Characters & Entities

• Camatkārapura
• Kṣetra
• Maheśvara (Śiva)

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

A tīrtha becomes transformative when approached with tapas and steady meditation on Śiva, especially as one matures toward life’s final aims (mokṣa).

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

Camatkārapura kṣetra is explicitly praised as a ‘greatly purifying’ sacred place.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

Tapas (austerity) and dhyāna (meditation) on Maheśvara are the recommended spiritual disciplines.