Skanda Purana — Nagara Khanda, Shloka 227

Devanagari script

इति श्रीस्कांदे महापुराण एकाशीतिसाहस्र्यां संहितायां षष्ठे नागर खण्डे हाटकेश्वरक्षेत्रमाहात्म्ये श्राद्धकल्पे भीष्मयुधिष्ठिरसंवादे नरकयातनानिरसनोपायवर्णनंनाम सप्तविंशत्युत्तरद्विशततमोऽध्यायः

Transliteration

iti śrīskāṃde mahāpurāṇa ekāśītisāhasryāṃ saṃhitāyāṃ ṣaṣṭhe nāgara khaṇḍe hāṭakeśvarakṣetramāhātmye śrāddhakalpe bhīṣmayudhiṣṭhirasaṃvāde narakayātanānirasanopāyavarṇanaṃnāma saptaviṃśatyuttaradviśatatamo'dhyāyaḥ

Translation

یوں شری سکند مہاپُران کے اکیاسی ہزار شلوکوں والی سنہتا میں، ششم ناگر کھنڈ کے ہاٹکیشور کشترا ماہاتمیہ، شرادھ کلپ، بھیشم-یُدھشٹھِر سنواد میں ‘دوزخ کی اذیتوں کے ازالے کے اُپایوں کی توصیف’ نامی باب، یعنی باب ۲۲۷، اختتام کو پہنچا۔

Word by Word

• iti: thus
• iti: Sambandha (Discourse marker/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: iti (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; वाक्यसमाप्तिसूचक (indeclinable; quotative/closure marker “thus”)

• śrī-skāṃde: in the revered Skanda (Purāṇa)
• śrī-skāṃde: Adhikarana (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: śrī (प्रातिपदिक) + skanda (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग; सप्तमी (7th/Locative); एकवचन; समासः—कर्मधारयः (honorific qualifier + proper name)

• mahāpurāṇe: in the great Purāṇa
• mahāpurāṇe: Adhikarana (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: mahā (प्रातिपदिक) + purāṇa (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग; सप्तमी (7th/Locative); एकवचन; कर्मधारयसमासः

• ekāśīti-sāhasryām: in the eighty-one-thousand (verses)
• ekāśīti-sāhasryām: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: ekāśīti (संख्याप्रातिपदिक) + sāhasrī (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग; सप्तमी (7th/Locative); एकवचन; षष्ठी-तत्पुरुषः (ekāśīti-sahasra = 81,000) विशेषणम्

• saṃhitāyām: in the Saṃhitā
• saṃhitāyām: Adhikarana (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: saṃhitā (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग; सप्तमी (7th/Locative); एकवचन

• ṣaṣṭhe: in the sixth
• ṣaṣṭhe: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: ṣaṣṭha (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग; सप्तमी (7th/Locative); एकवचन; क्रमवाचकविशेषणम् (ordinal)

• nāgara: Nāgara
• nāgara: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: nāgara (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग; सप्तमी (7th/Locative); एकवचन; ‘khaṇḍe’ इत्यस्य विशेषणम्

• khaṇḍe: in the section (khaṇḍa)
• khaṇḍe: Adhikarana (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: khaṇḍa (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग; सप्तमी (7th/Locative); एकवचन

• hāṭakeśvara-kṣetra-māhātmye: in the Māhātmya of the Hāṭakeśvara sacred field
• hāṭakeśvara-kṣetra-māhātmye: Adhikarana (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: hāṭakeśvara (प्रातिपदिक) + kṣetra (प्रातिपदिक) + māhātmya (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग; सप्तमी (7th/Locative); एकवचन; बहुपद-तत्पुरुषसमासः (Hāṭakeśvara-kṣetra-स्य māhātmya)

• śrāddha-kalpe: in the Śrāddha-kalpa (ritual section)
• śrāddha-kalpe: Adhikarana (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: śrāddha (प्रातिपदिक) + kalpa (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग; सप्तमी (7th/Locative); एकवचन; तत्पुरुषसमासः (śrāddhasya kalpaḥ)

• bhīṣma-yudhiṣṭhira-saṃvāde: in the dialogue of Bhīṣma and Yudhiṣṭhira
• bhīṣma-yudhiṣṭhira-saṃvāde: Adhikarana (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: bhīṣma (प्रातिपदिक) + yudhiṣṭhira (प्रातिपदिक) + saṃvāda (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग; सप्तमी (7th/Locative); एकवचन; तत्पुरुषसमासः (bhīṣma-yudhiṣṭhirayoḥ saṃvādaḥ)

• naraka-yātanā-nirasana-upāya-varṇanam: the description of means to remove hell-torments
• naraka-yātanā-nirasana-upāya-varṇanam: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: naraka (प्रातिपदिक) + yātanā (प्रातिपदिक) + nirasana (प्रातिपदिक) + upāya (प्रातिपदिक) + varṇana (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग; प्रथमा (1st/Nominative); एकवचन; बहुपद-तत्पुरुषसमासः (narakayātanānāṃ nirasanopāyānāṃ varṇanam)

• nāma: named
• nāma: Sambandha (Naming marker/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: nāman (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: अव्ययप्रयोगः (नाम-शब्दः title-marker; ‘called/named’)

• saptaviṃśati-uttara-dviśatatamaḥ: the 227th
• saptaviṃśati-uttara-dviśatatamaḥ: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: saptaviṃśati (संख्याप्रातिपदिक) + uttara (प्रातिपदिक) + dviśata (संख्याप्रातिपदिक) + tama (प्रत्ययान्त-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग; प्रथमा (1st/Nominative); एकवचन; क्रमवाचकविशेषणम्; समासः—तत्पुरुषः (dviśatāt saptaviṃśatyuttaraḥ = 227th)

• adhyāyaḥ: chapter
• adhyāyaḥ: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: adhyāya (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग; प्रथमा (1st/Nominative); एकवचन

Speaker

Narratorial colophon (textual closure)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Hāṭakeśvara-kṣetra

Type: kshetra

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: Śaunaka and sages (outer frame, implied); Yudhiṣṭhira (inner)

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A manuscript-style closing scene: scribal colophon with sacred symbols, while Bhīṣma and Yudhiṣṭhira remain in the background as the dialogue concludes.

Characters & Entities

• Skanda Mahāpurāṇa
• Nāgara-khaṇḍa
• Hāṭakeśvara-kṣetra
• Śrāddha-kalpa
• Bhīṣma
• Yudhiṣṭhira

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

It is a colophon; its purpose is to authenticate and locate the chapter within the Purāṇic hierarchy rather than teach doctrine directly.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

Hāṭakeśvara-kṣetra is named as the sacred geography frame for the surrounding māhātmya.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

The colophon references Śrāddha-kalpa as the ritual context, but does not prescribe an act itself.