Skanda Purana — Mahesvara Khanda, Shloka 74
वृषो धर्म इति प्रोक्तस्तमारूढस्ततो वृषी । सर्पाश्च दोषाः क्रोधाद्यास्तान्बिभर्ति जगन्मयः
vṛṣo dharma iti proktastamārūḍhastato vṛṣī | sarpāśca doṣāḥ krodhādyāstānbibharti jaganmayaḥ
“The bull is Dharma,” so it is declared; because he is mounted upon it, he is therefore called Vṛṣī. And the serpents are the faults—anger and the rest; the Lord who pervades the universe bears even those.
Lomaharṣaṇa (Sūta), deduced for Māheśvarakhaṇḍa narration
Scene: Mahādeva seated or standing with Nandin (bull) as Dharma beneath/near him; serpents coil as ornaments (neck, arms, waist), visually suggesting controlled ‘faults’ held in mastery; cosmic aura indicating jaganmaya pervasion.
FAQs
Dharma is the true vehicle; even inner poisons like anger can be mastered when placed under Śiva’s transforming power.
No specific location is mentioned; the focus is on symbolic meanings of Śiva’s mount and ornaments.
None; it is an interpretive statement about Dharma and inner purification.