Skanda Purana — Nagara Khanda, Shloka 16

Devanagari script

अथ दृष्टं तया क्षेत्रं हाटकेश्वरजं महत् । तपस्विभिः समाकीर्णं चित्ताह्लादकरं परम्

Transliteration

atha dṛṣṭaṃ tayā kṣetraṃ hāṭakeśvarajaṃ mahat | tapasvibhiḥ samākīrṇaṃ cittāhlādakaraṃ param

Translation

پھر اس نے ہاٹکیشور کا وہ عظیم مقدس میدان دیکھا، جو تپسویوں (زاہدوں) سے بھرا ہوا تھا اور دل کو انتہائی خوشی دینے والا تھا۔

Word by Word

• atha: then
• atha: Sambandha (Discourse/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: atha (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय (discourse particle: ‘then/now’)

• dṛṣṭam: seen
• dṛṣṭam: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: dṛś (धातु) + ta (क्त)
• Form: क्त-प्रत्ययान्त कृदन्त; नपुंसकलिङ्गे प्रथमा/द्वितीया, एकवचन; (कर्मणि-भावे) ‘seen’

• tayā: by her
• tayā: Karta (Agent in passive/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: tad (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्गे तृतीया (3rd/तृतीया), एकवचन; सर्वनाम

• kṣetram: the sacred place/field
• kṣetram: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: kṣetra (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्गे द्वितीया (2nd/द्वितीया), एकवचन

• hāṭakeśvara-jam: born of/connected with Hāṭakeśvara
• hāṭakeśvara-jam: Viśeṣaṇa (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: hāṭakeśvara + ja (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पञ्चमी/षष्ठी-तत्पुरुषार्थे (hāṭakeśvarāt/jasya jātaṃ); नपुंसकलिङ्गे द्वितीया (2nd/द्वितीया), एकवचन; विशेषण

• mahat: great
• mahat: Viśeṣaṇa (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: mahat (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्गे द्वितीया (2nd/द्वितीया), एकवचन; विशेषण

• tapasvibhiḥ: by/with ascetics
• tapasvibhiḥ: Karaṇa/Hetu (Instrument/association/करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: tapasvin (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्गे तृतीया (3rd/तृतीया), बहुवचन

• samākīrṇam: filled, crowded
• samākīrṇam: Viśeṣaṇa (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: sam + ā + kṝ (धातु) + ta (क्त)
• Form: क्त-प्रत्ययान्त कृदन्त; नपुंसकलिङ्गे द्वितीया (2nd/द्वितीया), एकवचन; विशेषण

• citta-āhlāda-karam: delighting the mind
• citta-āhlāda-karam: Viśeṣaṇa (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: citta + āhlāda + kara (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: षष्ठी-तत्पुरुष (cittasya āhlādaṃ karoti); नपुंसकलिङ्गे द्वितीया (2nd/द्वितीया), एकवचन; विशेषण

• param: supreme, excellent
• param: Viśeṣaṇa (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: para (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्गे द्वितीया (2nd/द्वितीया), एकवचन; विशेषण

Speaker

Narrator (Sūta, by continuity of the adhyāya)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Hāṭakeśvara-kṣetra

Type: kshetra

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: Śaunaka and sages (frame implied)

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A luminous sacred grove/field with a Śiva shrine of Hāṭakeśvara; many ascetics seated in meditation; the maiden arrives at the threshold, visibly relieved.

Characters & Entities

• Hāṭakeśvara

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

A true tīrtha is recognized by its sanctity, its tapasvīs, and its power to uplift the mind—hallmarks of a place where dharma becomes tangible.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

Hāṭakeśvara-kṣetra (the sacred region of Hāṭakeśvara).

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

None directly; the verse functions as a tīrtha-description (kṣetra-darśana) praising the site’s spiritual atmosphere.