Skanda Purana — Nagara Khanda, Shloka 20

Devanagari script

ब्राह्मण उवाच । तीर्थयात्रापरोऽहं च भ्रमामि क्षितिमंडले । क्रमेणाऽत्र समायातः क्षेत्रेऽस्मिन्हाटकेश्वरे

Transliteration

brāhmaṇa uvāca | tīrthayātrāparo'haṃ ca bhramāmi kṣitimaṃḍale | krameṇā'tra samāyātaḥ kṣetre'sminhāṭakeśvare

Translation

ब्राह्मण उवाच । तीर्थयात्रापरोऽहं च भ्रमामि क्षितिमण्डले । क्रमेणात्र समायातः क्षेत्रेऽस्मिन् हाटकेश्वरे ॥

Word by Word

• ब्राह्मणः: the Brahmin
• ब्राह्मणः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: ब्राह्मण (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), एकवचन

• उवाच: said
• उवाच: Kriya (Verb/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: वच् (धातु)
• Form: लिट् (Perfect), प्रथमपुरुष (3rd), एकवचन

• तीर्थयात्रापरः: devoted to pilgrimage
• तीर्थयात्रापरः: Visheshana (Adjectival/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: तीर्थ + यात्रा + पर (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन; विशेषण (‘devoted to pilgrimage’)

• अहम्: I
• अहम्: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: अस्मद् (प्रातिपदिक/सर्वनाम)
• Form: प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), एकवचन

• च: and
• च: Sambandha (Connector/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: च (अव्यय)
• Form: समुच्चयबोधक-निपात (conjunction)

• भ्रमामि: I wander
• भ्रमामि: Kriya (Verb/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: भ्रम् (धातु)
• Form: लट् (Present), उत्तमपुरुष (1st), एकवचन

• क्षितिमण्डले: on the earth-circle, on earth
• क्षितिमण्डले: Adhikarana (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: क्षिति + मण्डल (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, सप्तमी (7th/Locative), एकवचन

• क्रमेण: gradually, in due course
• क्रमेण: Kriya-visheshana (Adverbial/क्रियाविशेषण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: क्रम (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: तृतीया-एकवचन-रूपेण क्रियाविशेषण (adverbial instrumental)

• अत्र: here
• अत्र: Adhikarana (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: अत्र (अव्यय)
• Form: देशवाचक-अव्यय (adverb of place)

• समायातः: (I) have come
• समायातः: Kriya (Predicate/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: सम् + आ + या (धातु) → समायात (कृदन्त)
• Form: भूतकृत् (क्त/PPP), पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन; ‘having come’ (participial predicate)

• क्षेत्रे: in the sacred field
• क्षेत्रे: Adhikarana (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: क्षेत्र (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, सप्तमी (7th/Locative), एकवचन

• अस्मिन्: in this
• अस्मिन्: Adhikarana (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: इदम् (प्रातिपदिक/सर्वनाम)
• Form: पुं/नपुं, सप्तमी (7th/Locative), एकवचन

• हाटकेश्वरे: at Hāṭakeśvara
• हाटकेश्वरे: Adhikarana (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: हाटक + ईश्वर (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, सप्तमी (7th/Locative), एकवचन; स्थान/देवता-नाम

Speaker

Brāhmaṇa (pilgrim)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Hāṭakeśvara

Type: kshetra

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: King Ajo (implied from prior verses)

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A brāhmaṇa pilgrim introduces himself as devoted to tīrthayātrā, having wandered widely and now arrived at Hāṭakeśvara-kṣetra.

Characters & Entities

• Brāhmaṇa
• Hāṭakeśvara (kṣetra/tīrtha)

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Pilgrimage (tīrtha-yātrā) is presented as a disciplined spiritual life, where sacred places like Hāṭakeśvara become stations of transformation.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

Hāṭakeśvara kṣetra is explicitly named and serves as the focal sacred site in this segment.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

No explicit rite is given in this verse; it establishes the pilgrim’s vow-like orientation toward tīrtha-yātrā.