Skanda Purana — Nagara Khanda, Shloka 1

Devanagari script

। सूत उवाच । अथ शक्रः समाहूय प्रोचे संवर्तकानिलम् । हाटकेश्वरजेक्षेत्रे महान्नागबिलोऽस्ति वै

Transliteration

| sūta uvāca | atha śakraḥ samāhūya proce saṃvartakānilam | hāṭakeśvarajekṣetre mahānnāgabilo'sti vai

Translation

സൂതൻ പറഞ്ഞു—അപ്പോൾ ശക്രൻ (ഇന്ദ്രൻ) സംവർതകവായുവിനെ വിളിച്ചു പറഞ്ഞു—‘ഹാടകേശ്വരക്ഷേത്രത്തിൽ വാസ്തവത്തിൽ ഒരു മഹത്തായ നാഗബിലം ഉണ്ട്.’

Word by Word

• सूतः: Sūta
• सूतः: Karta (कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: सूत (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन

• उवाच: said
• उवाच: Kriya (क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: वच् (धातु; √वच्)
• Form: लिट् (Perfect), परस्मैपद, प्रथमपुरुष, एकवचन

• अथ: then
• अथ: Sambandha (सम्बन्ध/connector)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: अथ (अव्यय)
• Form: अनन्तरार्थक अव्यय (indeclinable; then/now)

• शक्रः: Śakra (Indra)
• शक्रः: Karta (कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: शक्र (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन

• समाहूय: having summoned
• समाहूय: Purvakala (पूर्वकाल)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: सम्-आ-ह्वा (धातु; √ह्वा)
• Form: क्त्वान्त (absolutive/gerund), अव्ययभाव; ‘समाह्वाय’ इत्यर्थः

• प्रोचे: said/spoke
• प्रोचे: Kriya (क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: प्र-उच्/वच् (धातु; √वच्)
• Form: लिट् (Perfect), परस्मैपद, प्रथमपुरुष, एकवचन; ‘प्रोवाच’ इत्यर्थे रूपान्तरम्

• संवर्तकानिलम्: the Saṃvartaka wind
• संवर्तकानिलम्: Karma (कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: संवर्तक (प्रातिपदिक) + अनिल (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति, एकवचन; कर्मधारय/तत्पुरुष: ‘संवर्तकः अनिलः’

• हाटकेश्वरजे-क्षेत्रे: in the Hāṭakeśvaraja region/field
• हाटकेश्वरजे-क्षेत्रे: Adhikarana (अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: हाटकेश्वरज (प्रातिपदिक; हाटकेश्वर + ज) + क्षेत्र (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, सप्तमी-विभक्ति (Locative), एकवचन; तत्पुरुष: ‘हाटकेश्वरजातं क्षेत्रम्’/‘हाटकेश्वरज-क्षेत्रम्’

• महान्: great
• महान्: Visheshana (विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: महत् (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन; विशेषण

• नागबिलः: a serpent-cave
• नागबिलः: Karta (कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: नाग (प्रातिपदिक) + बिल (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन; तत्पुरुष: ‘नागानां बिलम्’/‘नागस्य बिलम्’

• अस्ति: exists/is
• अस्ति: Kriya (क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: अस् (धातु; √अस्)
• Form: लट् (Present), परस्मैपद, प्रथमपुरुष, एकवचन

• वै: indeed
• वै: Sambandha (सम्बन्ध/particle)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: वै (अव्यय)
• Form: निश्चयार्थक/खल्वर्थक अव्यय (emphatic particle)

Speaker

Sūta (narrator)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Hāṭakeśvara-kṣetra; Nāga-bila

Type: cave

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: Śaunaka and the Naimiṣāraṇya sages

Visual Art Cues

Scene: Indra (Śakra) in his celestial court summons Saṃvartaka Vāyu; a map-like vista shows the Hāṭakeśvara-kṣetra below with a dark, yawning serpent-cavern marked by nāga imagery.

Characters & Entities

• Sūta
• Śakra (Indra)
• Saṃvartakānila (Saṃvartaka Wind)
• Hāṭakeśvara-kṣetra
• Mahānāga-bila (Nāga-bila)

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Sacred places are introduced as living theaters of dharma where divine actions unfold, highlighting the importance of tīrtha-smaraṇa (remembering holy sites).

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

Hāṭakeśvara-kṣetra, with special attention to the Mahānāga-bila (Nāga-bila) located there.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

No direct ritual is prescribed in this verse; it sets the sacred-geographical context for the episode.