Skanda Purana — Kashi Khanda, Shloka 21
अथ नंदिनमाहूय धूर्जटिः स कृपानिधिः । शृण्वतां सर्वदेवानामिदं वचनमब्रवीत्
atha naṃdinamāhūya dhūrjaṭiḥ sa kṛpānidhiḥ | śṛṇvatāṃ sarvadevānāmidaṃ vacanamabravīt
Darauf rief Dhūrjaṭi—Śiva, die Schatzkammer des Erbarmens—Nandī herbei und sprach, während alle Götter lauschten, diese Worte.
Narrator (Skanda in Kāśī Khaṇḍa context)
Listener: Audience of the kathā (sages/pilgrims)
Scene: Śiva as Dhūrjaṭi, matted locks and crescent moon, seated in regal calm; Nandī stands with folded hands. Around them, devas form a luminous semicircle, listening intently in a Kāśī-like temple-court or ethereal sabhā.
FAQs
Śiva’s compassion initiates divine guidance; sacred instruction is given publicly for the welfare of all beings.
The broader Kāśī setting continues, framing the forthcoming instruction as part of Kāśī’s sacred narrative.
None directly; it introduces a divine command that leads to a sacred act.