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Skanda Purana — Nagara Khanda, Shloka 70

नान्यस्य कर्मणः शक्तिर्विद्यते ते नखायुध । पूजादिकस्य हीनत्वाद्धस्ताभ्यामिति मे मतिः

nānyasya karmaṇaḥ śaktirvidyate te nakhāyudha | pūjādikasya hīnatvāddhastābhyāmiti me matiḥ

O du, dessen Waffe die Krallen sind, du hast keine Kraft für andere Riten. Da dir die Mittel für Pūjā und dergleichen fehlen, meine ich: Nur Hingabe mit deinen eigenen „zwei Händen“—schlichte Handlungen wie Umschreiten und Niederwerfen—ist für dich passend.

nanot
na:
Sambandha (Discourse particle/सम्बन्ध)
TypeIndeclinable
Rootna (अव्यय)
Formनिषेधार्थक-अव्यय (negative particle)
anyasyaof any other
anyasya:
Sambandha (Of another/सम्बन्ध)
TypeNoun
Rootanya (प्रातिपदिक)
Formपुंलिङ्ग/नपुंसकलिङ्ग, षष्ठी (सम्बन्ध), एकवचन (Genitive, Singular)
karmaṇaḥof (any) act/rite
karmaṇaḥ:
Sambandha (Of an act/सम्बन्ध)
TypeNoun
Rootkarman (प्रातिपदिक)
Formनपुंसकलिङ्ग, षष्ठी (सम्बन्ध), एकवचन (Neuter, Genitive, Singular)
śaktiḥability/power
śaktiḥ:
Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
TypeNoun
Rootśakti (प्रातिपदिक)
Formस्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (कर्ता), एकवचन (Feminine, Nominative, Singular)
vidyateexists/is found
vidyate:
Kriya (Verb/क्रिया)
TypeVerb
Root√vid (धातु)
Formलट् (Present), प्रथमपुरुष, एकवचन; आत्मनेपद (3rd person, Singular); भावे प्रयोग (exists/is found)
tefor you / O you
te:
Sambodhana (Address/सम्बोधन)
TypeNoun
Rootyusmad (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
Formसर्वनाम, चतुर्थी (सम्प्रदान) / षष्ठी (सम्बन्ध), एकवचन; अत्र सम्बोधन-संबन्धे 'O you' (to you/of you)
nakhāyudhaO one whose weapon is claws
nakhāyudha:
Sambodhana (Address/सम्बोधन)
TypeNoun
Rootnakha (प्रातिपदिक) + āyudha (प्रातिपदिक)
Formपुंलिङ्ग, सम्बोधन (Vocative), एकवचन (Masculine, Vocative, Singular); षष्ठी-तत्पुरुषः (नखाः आयुधं यस्य)
pūjā-ādeḥof worship and the like
pūjā-ādeḥ:
Sambandha (Of worship etc./सम्बन्ध)
TypeNoun
Rootpūjā (प्रातिपदिक) + ādi (प्रातिपदिक)
Formपुंलिङ्ग, षष्ठी (सम्बन्ध), एकवचन (Masculine, Genitive, Singular); समाहारार्थे तत्पुरुषः (पूजा-आदि)
hīnatvātbecause of lack/deficiency
hīnatvāt:
Hetu/Apadana (Cause/Source/हेतु)
TypeNoun
Roothīnatva (प्रातिपदिक)
Formनपुंसकलिङ्ग, पञ्चमी (हेतु/अपादान), एकवचन (Neuter, Ablative, Singular)
hastābhyāmwith (both) hands
hastābhyām:
Karana (Instrument/करण)
TypeNoun
Roothasta (प्रातिपदिक)
Formपुंलिङ्ग, तृतीया (करण), द्विवचन (Masculine, Instrumental, Dual)
itithus
iti:
Sambandha (Quotation marker/सम्बन्ध)
TypeIndeclinable
Rootiti (अव्यय)
Formइति-कारक-अव्यय (quotative particle)
memy
me:
Sambandha (Possessor/सम्बन्ध)
TypeNoun
Rootasmad (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
Formसर्वनाम, षष्ठी (सम्बन्ध), एकवचन (Pronoun, Genitive, Singular)
matiḥopinion/view
matiḥ:
Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
TypeNoun
Rootmati (प्रातिपदिक)
Formस्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (कर्ता), एकवचन (Feminine, Nominative, Singular)

Nandinī (deduced: continues her instruction)

Tirtha: Bāṇa-pratiṣṭhita Mahāliṅga (forest shrine)

Type: kshetra

Listener: Tiger (addressed as nakhāyudha)

Scene: Nandinī gently explains to the claw-weaponed tiger that elaborate rites are beyond him; therefore, simple bodily devotion—circumambulation and bowing—is the fitting path.

FAQs

Dharma and devotion are accessible: when elaborate ritual is impossible, sincere simple acts remain effective.

The same great forest Liṅga (Bāṇa-pratiṣṭhita) is implied as the locus of these simplified devotional acts.

It prioritizes simple bodily devotion (like circumambulation and bowing) over elaborate pūjā when one lacks the means.