Skanda Purana — Nagara Khanda, Shloka 12

Devanagari script

हाटकेश्वरजं क्षेत्रं त्यक्त्वा तीर्थमयं शुभम् । कस्मादत्र समायाता हिमार्तिजनके गिरौ

Transliteration

hāṭakeśvarajaṃ kṣetraṃ tyaktvā tīrthamayaṃ śubham | kasmādatra samāyātā himārtijanake girau

Translation

تیर्थوں سے بھرپور مبارک ہاٹکیشور کے مقدس علاقے کو چھوڑ کر تم یہاں کیوں آئے ہو، اس پہاڑ پر جو سردی کی تکلیف پیدا کرتا ہے؟

Word by Word

• हाटकेश्वरजम्: pertaining to Hāṭakeśvara
• हाटकेश्वरजम्: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: हाटकेश्वरज (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd/द्वितीया), एकवचन — Accusative Singular; (हाटकेश्वर + ज) ‘born of/pertaining to Hāṭakeśvara’

• क्षेत्रम्: the sacred region/field
• क्षेत्रम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: क्षेत्र (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd/द्वितीया), एकवचन — Accusative Singular

• त्यक्त्वा: having left
• त्यक्त्वा: Purvakala-kriya (Prior action)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: त्यज् (धातु)
• Form: क्त्वान्त (absolutive/gerund) — ‘having abandoned’

• तीर्थमयम्: full of sacred fords
• तीर्थमयम्: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: तीर्थमय (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया, एकवचन — Accusative Singular; (तीर्थ + मय) ‘consisting of/filled with tīrthas’

• शुभम्: auspicious
• शुभम्: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: शुभ (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया, एकवचन — Accusative Singular; विशेषणम् (qualifying ‘क्षेत्रम्’)

• कस्मात्: from what cause?/why
• कस्मात्: Hetu/Apadana (Cause/Source)
• Type: Noun
• Root: किम् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुं/नपुंसक, पञ्चमी (5th/पञ्चमी), एकवचन — Ablative Singular; प्रश्नवाचक

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

• समायाताः: (you all) have come/arrived
• समायाताः: Kriya (Predicative participle)
• Type: Verb
• Root: सम् + आ + या (धातु) → समायात (कृदन्त-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: भूतकृदन्त (past active participle), पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/प्रथमा), बहुवचन — Nom. Pl.; used predicatively (‘have come’)

• हिमार्तिजनके: in the cold-causing (place)
• हिमार्तिजनके: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: हिमार्तिजनक (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, सप्तमी (7th/सप्तमी), एकवचन — Locative Singular; (हिम + आर्ति + जनक) ‘producing distress by snow/cold’

• गिरौ: on the mountain
• गिरौ: Adhikarana (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: गिरि (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, सप्तमी (7th/सप्तमी), एकवचन — Locative Singular

Speaker

Indra

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Hāṭakeśvara-kṣetra (referenced)

Type: kshetra

Visual Art Cues

Scene: Indra gestures toward a bleak, wind-swept mountain while referencing the lush, auspicious Hāṭakeśvara-kṣetra left behind; brāhmaṇas stand wrapped in simple cloaks, suggesting cold and endurance.

Characters & Entities

• Indra
• Hāṭakeśvara-kṣetra
• giri (mountain)

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Pilgrimage is purposeful: leaving one sacred kṣetra for another should be guided by dharma and divine intent, not whim.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

Hāṭakeśvara-kṣetra is identified as an auspicious region rich in tīrthas; the destination mountain is described as intensely cold.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

No direct prescription; it introduces the tīrtha-journey context by contrasting two locations.