Skanda Purana — Nagara Khanda, Shloka 20

Devanagari script

हाटकेश्वरजे क्षेत्रे यत्स्थितं विप्रसंकुलम् । तत्राश्रमपदं कृत्वा तपस्तेपे सुदारुणम्

Transliteration

hāṭakeśvaraje kṣetre yatsthitaṃ viprasaṃkulam | tatrāśramapadaṃ kṛtvā tapastepe sudāruṇam

Translation

ในเขตศักดิ์สิทธิ์แห่งหาฏเกศวร ซึ่งเนืองแน่นด้วยพราหมณ์ เขาได้ตั้งอาศรมขึ้น ณ ที่นั้น แล้วบำเพ็ญตบะอันเข้มข้นยิ่งนัก

Word by Word

• हाटकेश्वरजे: in/at (the place) connected with Hāṭakeśvara
• हाटकेश्वरजे: Adhikarana (अधिकरण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: हाटकेश्वर (प्रातिपदिक) + ज (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग/पुंलिङ्ग, सप्तमी-विभक्ति (Locative/7th), एकवचन; तद्धितार्थे ‘हाटकेश्वरात् जात/सम्बद्ध’ (समासः: हाटकेश्वर-सम्बन्धि)

• क्षेत्रे: in the sacred field/region
• क्षेत्रे: Adhikarana (अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: क्षेत्र (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, सप्तमी-विभक्ति, एकवचन

• यत्: which (that)
• यत्: Karta (कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: यद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन; सम्बन्धसूचक सर्वनाम

• स्थितम्: situated
• स्थितम्: Visheshana (विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: स्था (धातु) + स्थित (कृदन्त, क्त)
• Form: क्त-प्रत्ययान्त कृदन्त, नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन; ‘स्थित’ = situated

• विप्रसंकुलम्: crowded with brahmins
• विप्रसंकुलम्: Visheshana (विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: विप्र (प्रातिपदिक) + संकुल (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन; तृतीया/षष्ठी-तत्पुरुषार्थे ‘विप्रैः संकुलम्/विप्राणां संकुलम्’ = crowded with brahmins

• तत्र: there
• तत्र: Adhikarana (अधिकरण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: तत्र (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय, देशवाचक क्रियाविशेषण (adverb of place)

• आश्रमपदम्: a hermitage-site
• आश्रमपदम्: Karma (कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: आश्रम (प्रातिपदिक) + पद (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति, एकवचन; षष्ठी-तत्पुरुषः (आश्रमस्य पदम् = hermitage-site)

• कृत्वा: having made
• कृत्वा: Purvakala-kriya (पूर्वकाल-क्रिया)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: कृ (धातु) + कृत्वा (कृदन्त, त्वा)
• Form: त्वा-प्रत्ययान्त अव्ययीभावरूप कृदन्त (gerund), पूर्वकाले ‘having made’

• तपः: austerity
• तपः: Karma (कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: तपस् (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति, एकवचन (कर्मरूपे)

• तेपे: performed (austerity)
• तेपे: Kriya (क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: तप् (धातु)
• Form: लिट्-लकार (Perfect), प्रथमपुरुष, एकवचन; आत्मनेपद

• सुदारुणम्: very severe
• सुदारुणम्: Visheshana (विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: सु (उपसर्ग/अव्यय) + दारुण (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति, एकवचन; ‘सु’ उपसर्गेण तीव्रार्थः

Speaker

Narrator (contextual Purāṇic narrator)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Hāṭakeśvara-kṣetra

Type: kshetra

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A rishi selects a spot in Hāṭakeśvara-kṣetra, builds a simple āśrama with leaf-huts, kindles a sacred fire, and undertakes fierce austerities amid gathered brāhmaṇas and students.

Characters & Entities

• Hāṭakeśvara-kṣetra
• Brāhmaṇas (vipra)
• Āśrama (hermitage)

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Sacred kṣetras support disciplined tapas; establishing an āśrama in a holy region is presented as a dhārmic response to restore spiritual order.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

Hāṭakeśvara-kṣetra is explicitly praised as a brāhmaṇa-rich sacred region.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

Tapas (austerity) is the practice described; no details of snāna/dāna/japa are specified in this verse.