Shloka 4
Matsya Purana — The Maheshvara Vow: Śiva-Caturdaśī Vrata
*मत्स्य उवाच इत्युक्त्वा देवदेवेशस् तत्रैवान्तरधीयत नारदो ऽपि हि शुश्रूषुर् अपृच्छन्नन्दिकेश्वरम् आदिष्टस्त्वं शिवेनेह वद माहेश्वरं व्रतम् //
*matsya uvāca ityuktvā devadeveśas tatraivāntaradhīyata nārado 'pi hi śuśrūṣur apṛcchannandikeśvaram ādiṣṭastvaṃ śiveneha vada māheśvaraṃ vratam //
Matsya said: Having spoken thus, the Lord of the gods vanished right there. Then Nārada too, eager to serve and to learn, questioned Nandikeśvara: “You have been commissioned here by Śiva—therefore, tell me about the Māheśvara vow.”
FAQs
This verse does not discuss pralaya directly; it marks a narrative transition where a divine figure disappears and the teaching focus shifts to a Śaiva vow (vrata).
It frames vrata as a legitimate dharmic practice: a sincere seeker (Nārada) approaches an authorized teacher (Nandikeśvara) to learn a discipline of worship—modeling how householders and rulers should adopt vows through proper instruction and lineage.
The ritual significance is explicit: the verse introduces the Māheśvara Vrata and establishes Nandikeśvara as the instructor appointed by Śiva, indicating that the forthcoming rite should be learned from an authoritative source.