Skanda Purana — Mahesvara Khanda, Shloka 43

Devanagari script

धर्मः पाशुपतः श्रेष्ठः स्कन्देन प्रतिपालितः

Transliteration

dharmaḥ pāśupataḥ śreṣṭhaḥ skandena pratipālitaḥ

Translation

Le dharma Pāśupata est le plus élevé ; il fut soutenu et protégé par Skanda.

Word by Word

• dharmaḥ: the dharma
• dharmaḥ: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: dharma (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन — Masculine, Nominative, Singular

• pāśupataḥ: Pāśupata (of Paśupati/Śiva)
• pāśupataḥ: Viśeṣaṇa (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: pāśupata (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन — Masculine, Nominative, Singular (agreeing with dharmaḥ)

• śreṣṭhaḥ: excellent/supreme
• śreṣṭhaḥ: Viśeṣaṇa (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: śreṣṭha (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन — Masculine, Nominative, Singular (agreeing with dharmaḥ)

• skandena: by Skanda
• skandena: Kartr̥ (Agent in passive/कर्तृ)
• Type: Noun
• Root: skanda (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, तृतीया, एकवचन — Masculine, Instrumental, Singular

• pratipālitaḥ: protected/maintained
• pratipālitaḥ: Kriya-viśeṣaṇa (Predicative/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: prati-√pāl (धातु) + ta (कृत्)
• Form: भूतकृत् (क्त), पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन — Past passive participle, Masculine, Nominative, Singular (predicative to dharmaḥ)

Speaker

Lomaharṣaṇa (Sūta) to the sages (deduced)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Kedāra/Kedāranātha

Type: kshetra

Visual Art Cues

Scene: Skanda stands as a radiant guardian of Pāśupata dharma—spear in hand, peacock nearby—while sages and ascetics perform Śaiva rites in the Kedāra landscape.

Characters & Entities

• Skanda
• Pāśupata
• Dharma

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Śaiva discipline (Pāśupata) is praised as supreme, and Skanda is presented as its guardian—linking devotion with disciplined conduct.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

The statement appears within Kedārakhaṇḍa, reinforcing Kedāra’s Śaiva identity rather than naming a separate tīrtha.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

No specific rite is detailed; it endorses the Pāśupata path as normative dharma.