Skanda Purana — Nagara Khanda, Shloka 4

Devanagari script

प्राच्यां तस्य गयाशीर्षं पश्चिमेन हरेः पदम् । दक्षिणोत्तरयोश्चैव गोकर्णेश्वरसंज्ञितौ

Transliteration

prācyāṃ tasya gayāśīrṣaṃ paścimena hareḥ padam | dakṣiṇottarayoścaiva gokarṇeśvarasaṃjñitau

Translation

ทางทิศตะวันออกมีคยาเศียรษะ; ทางทิศตะวันตกมีรอยพระบาทของพระหริ. และทางทิศใต้กับทิศเหนือเป็นสถานที่ศักดิ์สิทธิ์ที่เรียกว่า โคกรเณศวร.

Word by Word

• प्राच्याम्: in the east
• प्राच्याम्: Adhikarana (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: प्राची (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, सप्तमी (7th/सप्तमी), एकवचन; अधिकरण (locative of place)

• तस्य: of it/of that
• तस्य: Sambandha (Genitive relation/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: तद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग/नपुंसकलिङ्ग, षष्ठी (6th/षष्ठी), एकवचन; सम्बन्ध (genitive)

• गयाशीर्षम्: Gaya’s head (Gayāśīrṣa)
• गयाशीर्षम्: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: गया (प्रातिपदिक) + शीर्ष (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया (1st/प्रथमा or 2nd/द्वितीया), एकवचन; समासः षष्ठी-तत्पुरुष (गयायाः शीर्षम्)

• पश्चिमेन: to the west (on the western side)
• पश्चिमेन: Adhikarana (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: पश्चिम (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग/नपुंसकलिङ्ग, तृतीया (3rd/तृतीया), एकवचन; करण/दिशा-निर्देश (instrumental: ‘to the west/by the west side’)

• हरेः: of Hari (Vishnu)
• हरेः: Sambandha (Genitive relation/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: हरि (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, षष्ठी (6th/षष्ठी), एकवचन; सम्बन्ध

• पदम्: footprint/step; sacred spot
• पदम्: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: पद (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया (1st/प्रथमा or 2nd/द्वितीया), एकवचन

• दक्षिणोत्तरयोः: of/in the south and the north (two sides)
• दक्षिणोत्तरयोः: Adhikarana (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: दक्षिण (प्रातिपदिक) + उत्तर (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, षष्ठी/सप्तमी (6th/षष्ठी or 7th/सप्तमी), द्विवचन; समासः द्वन्द्व (दक्षिणश्च उत्तरश्च)

• च: and
• च: None
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: च (अव्यय)
• Form: समुच्चय-अव्यय (conjunction)

• एव: indeed/just
• एव: None
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: एव (अव्यय)
• Form: निश्चय/अवधारण-अव्यय (emphatic particle)

• गोकर्णेश्वरसंज्ञितौ: (the two) called ‘Gokarṇeśvara’
• गोकर्णेश्वरसंज्ञितौ: Visheshana (Adjectival/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: गोकर्ण (प्रातिपदिक) + ईश्वर (प्रातिपदिक) + संज्ञित (कृदन्त; √ज्ञा (धातु) + सम् उपसर्ग, क्त)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/प्रथमा), द्विवचन; विशेषण—‘गोकर्णेश्वर’ इति संज्ञया युक्तौ (named as Gokarṇeśvara)

Speaker

Sūta (Lomaharṣaṇa)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Hāṭakeśvara-kṣetra (with Gayāśīrṣa, Hareḥ Pada, Gokarṇeśvara)

Type: kshetra

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: Brāhmaṇas/ṛṣis in the listening assembly

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A bird’s-eye sacred map: a central shrine/settlement with four cardinal markers—east a hill/śikhara labeled Gayāśīrṣa, west a stone footprint of Viṣṇu, and twin Śiva-liṅgas named Gokarṇeśvara to the south and north; pilgrims moving along the axes.

Characters & Entities

• Gayāśīrṣa
• Hareḥ Padam
• Hari (Viṣṇu)
• Gokarṇeśvara
• Camatkārapura-kṣetra

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Holy regions are framed by multiple sacred markers, uniting diverse sanctities (Śaiva and Vaiṣṇava) into one pilgrimage landscape.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

Camatkārapura-kṣetra, identified through boundary tīrthas: Gayāśīrṣa, Hareḥ Padam, and the two Gokarṇeśvaras.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

None; the verse functions as a tīrtha-map (dig-nirdeśa), orienting pilgrims to sacred landmarks.