Skanda Purana — Mahesvara Khanda, Shloka 3

Devanagari script

धर्मा नानाविधाः प्रोक्ता नंदिनं प्रति वै तदा

Transliteration

dharmā nānāvidhāḥ proktā naṃdinaṃ prati vai tadā

Translation

Damals wurden vielerlei Arten von Dharma gelehrt, an Nandin gerichtet.

Word by Word

• धर्माः: duties / doctrines
• धर्माः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: धर्म (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, बहुवचन (Plural)

• नानाविधाः: of various kinds
• नानाविधाः: Visheshana (Adjectival)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: नाना (अव्यय/उपसर्गवत्) + विध (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, बहुवचन; विशेषण

• प्रोक्ताः: were spoken / were taught
• प्रोक्ताः: Kriya (Predicative action)
• Type: Verb
• Root: प्र-वच् (धातु) + क्त (कृदन्त प्रत्यय)
• Form: भूतकर्मणि कृदन्त (past passive participle, क्त), पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, बहुवचन; कर्मणि प्रयोगे विधेय

• नन्दिनम्: Nandin
• नन्दिनम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: नन्दिन् (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd/Accusative), एकवचन (Singular)

• प्रति: towards / to
• प्रति: Sambandha (Relational)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: प्रति (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; उपसर्गसदृशं कर्मप्रवचनीयम् (preposition governing accusative)

• वै: indeed
• वै: Nipata (Particle)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: वै (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; निश्चयार्थक निपात

• तदा: then
• तदा: Kriya-visheshana (Time)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: तदा (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; कालवाचक क्रियाविशेषण (temporal adverb)

Speaker

Lomaśa (continuing narration)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Kedāra (contextual)

Type: kshetra

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: dvija-ṛṣis

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A focused scene: Nandin, dignified and attentive, receives varied dharma teachings from a sage/teacher in an āśrama, with subtle Śaiva emblems (trident, bull-banner) indicating Śiva’s presence.

Characters & Entities

• Nandin

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Śaiva tradition contains multiple articulated disciplines, preserved through authoritative recipients like Nandin.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

The Kedāra section continues, but this verse focuses on lineage/transmission rather than a site-description.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

None explicitly; it summarizes that various dharmas were instructed to Nandin.