Skanda Purana — Mahesvara Khanda, Shloka 4

Devanagari script

यावत्समागतो द्रष्टं नंदिनासौ निवारितः । द्वारि स्थिते च तदा क्षणमेकं स्थिरोऽभवत्

Transliteration

yāvatsamāgato draṣṭaṃ naṃdināsau nivāritaḥ | dvāri sthite ca tadā kṣaṇamekaṃ sthiro'bhavat

Translation

Als er kam, um (Śiva) zu schauen, hielt Nandin ihn zurück; und am Eingang stehend, verharrte er einen Augenblick reglos.

Word by Word

• yāvat: until/as long as
• yāvat: Sambandha (Temporal relation/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: yāvat (अव्यय/प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: अव्यय; काल-परिमाणार्थक (temporal limit: 'as long as/until')

• samāgataḥ: having arrived
• samāgataḥ: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Verb
• Root: sam-ā-√gam (धातु) + āgata (कृदन्त)
• Form: भूतकृदन्त (क्त/ppp); पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st), एकवचन; कर्तरि प्रयोग (having come)

• draṣṭum: to see
• draṣṭum: Prayojana (Purpose/प्रयोजन)
• Type: Verb
• Root: √dṛś (धातु)
• Form: तुमुन्-प्रत्ययान्त अव्यय (infinitive); प्रयोजनार्थ (purpose)

• naṃdinā: by Nandin
• naṃdinā: Karana (Instrument/करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: naṃdin (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, तृतीया (3rd/करण), एकवचन

• asau: he/that person
• asau: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: adas (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: सर्वनाम; पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st), एकवचन

• nivāritaḥ: was stopped/prevented
• nivāritaḥ: Karma (Object affected/कर्म)
• Type: Verb
• Root: ni-√vṛ (धातु) + vārita (कृदन्त)
• Form: भूतकृदन्त (क्त/ppp); पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st), एकवचन; कर्मणि प्रयोग (was prevented)

• dvāri: at the door
• dvāri: Adhikarana (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: dvāra (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, सप्तमी (7th/अधिकरण), एकवचन; स्थानवाचक (locative)

• sthite: when (he) was standing
• sthite: Sambandha (Locative absolute/सति-सप्तमी)
• Type: Verb
• Root: √sthā (धातु) + sthita (कृदन्त)
• Form: भूतकृदन्त (क्त/ppp); सप्तमी (7th), एकवचन; सति-सप्तमी (locative absolute)

• ca: and
• ca: Sambandha (Connector/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: ca (अव्यय)
• Form: समुच्चयबोधक अव्यय (conjunction)

• tadā: then
• tadā: Sambandha (Temporal/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: tadā (अव्यय)
• Form: कालवाचक अव्यय (temporal adverb)

• kṣaṇam: for a moment
• kṣaṇam: Karma (Extent/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: kṣaṇa (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd/कर्म), एकवचन; कालपरिमाण (duration)

• ekam: one
• ekam: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: eka (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: विशेषण; पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd), एकवचन; kṣaṇam इति विशेष्यस्य विशेषणम्

• sthiraḥ: still/steady
• sthiraḥ: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: sthira (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: विशेषण; पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st), एकवचन; asau इति विशेष्यस्य विशेषणम्

• abhavat: became/was
• abhavat: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: √bhū (धातु)
• Form: लङ् (imperfect/past); प्रथमपुरुष (3rd), एकवचन; परस्मैपद

Speaker

Sūta (Lomaharṣaṇa) to the sages (deduced)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Kedāra (Kedāranātha)

Type: kshetra

Visual Art Cues

Scene: At the doorway of Śiva’s hermitage/inner sanctum in the Himalayan setting, Nandin blocks the visitor; the visitor stands still in a moment of reverent pause, snow-peaks and austere atmosphere behind.

Characters & Entities

• Nandin
• Himavān
• Śiva (implied)

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Sacred access requires humility and restraint; even the great must honor divine order and guardianship.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

The Kedāra-Himālaya sacred precinct where Śiva is in tapas, envisioned like a sanctum with a guarded threshold.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

An implied discipline: pause, compose oneself, and seek permission before entering a holy presence.