Skanda Purana — Nagara Khanda, Shloka 29

Devanagari script

निश्चलत्वेन देवेशोह्यष्टषष्टिषु मध्यमः । क्षेत्राणां वसते तत्र तस्य वाक्यान्महेश्वरः

Transliteration

niścalatvena deveśohyaṣṭaṣaṣṭiṣu madhyamaḥ | kṣetrāṇāṃ vasate tatra tasya vākyānmaheśvaraḥ

Translation

‘ନିଶ୍ଚଳ’ ଭାବରୁ ଦେବେଶ୍ୱର ଅଷ୍ଟଷଷ୍ଟି କ୍ଷେତ୍ରମଧ୍ୟରେ ‘ମଧ୍ୟ’ ଭାବେ ଗଣ୍ୟ; ମହେଶ୍ୱରଙ୍କ ବାକ୍ୟାନୁସାରେ ସେଠାରେ ବସନ୍ତି।

Word by Word

• niścalatvena: by (his) immovability / steadiness
• niścalatvena: Hetu/Karaṇa (Cause/Instrument)
• Type: Noun
• Root: niścala-tva (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, तृतीया (3rd/तृतीया), एकवचन; भाववाचक-तद्धित (त्व)

• deveśaḥ: Lord of the gods
• deveśaḥ: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: deva + īśa (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन; समासः—देवानाम् ईशः इति षष्ठी-तत्पुरुषः

• hi: indeed
• hi: Nipāta (Particle/निपात)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: hi (अव्यय)
• Form: हेतु/अवधारण-निपात (particle: indeed/for)

• aṣṭaṣaṣṭiṣu: among the sixty-eight
• aṣṭaṣaṣṭiṣu: Adhikarana (Locative/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: aṣṭa-ṣaṣṭi (संख्या-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग (षष्टि-आधार), सप्तमी, बहुवचन; संख्या-शब्दः; समासः—अष्ट च षष्टिः इति द्वन्द्वः (68)

• madhyamaḥ: the middle / central one
• madhyamaḥ: Viśeṣaṇa (Adjectival/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: madhyama (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन; विशेषणम् (deveśaḥ)

• kṣetrāṇām: of the sacred fields
• kṣetrāṇām: Sambandha (Genitive/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: kṣetra (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, षष्ठी, बहुवचन

• vasate: dwells
• vasate: Kriya (Verb/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: vas (धातु)
• Form: लट् (Present), प्रथमपुरुष, एकवचन; आत्मनेपद

• tatra: there
• tatra: Adhikarana (Locative/अधिकरण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: tatra (अव्यय)
• Form: देश-अव्यय (locative adverb)

• tasya: of him / his
• tasya: Sambandha (Genitive/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: tad (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग/नपुंसकलिङ्ग, षष्ठी, एकवचन; pronoun

• vākyāt: from (his) command
• vākyāt: Apādāna (Ablative/अपादान)
• Type: Noun
• Root: vākya (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, पञ्चमी (5th/पञ्चमी), एकवचन; Ablative: “from (his) word/command”

• maheśvaraḥ: Mahēśvara (Great Lord Śiva)
• maheśvaraḥ: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: mahā + īśvara (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन; समासः—महान् ईश्वरः इति कर्मधारयः

Speaker

Sūta (narrative exposition)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Acaleśvara-kṣetra

Type: kshetra

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A symbolic sacred map: sixty-eight luminous kṣetras arranged like a mandala, with Acaleśvara at the center marked ‘madhyama’; Śiva’s word radiates as a decree.

Characters & Entities

• Deveśa
• Maheśvara
• Kṣetra (sacred fields)
• Aṣṭaṣaṣṭi (sixty-eight)

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Sacred places form an ordered dhārmic geography; a kṣetra’s status is grounded in Śiva’s sanction and presence.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

Acaleśvara-kṣetra, described as a central one among a set of sixty-eight kṣetras.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

No direct ritual is stated; the verse offers a classificatory praise to guide pilgrimage valuation.