Skanda Purana — Nagara Khanda, Shloka 12

Devanagari script

नंदी दंडधरः संज्ञां दृष्ट्वा चक्रे हरो परः । अलं चापलदोषेण तपः कुर्वंतु भो गणाः

Transliteration

naṃdī daṃḍadharaḥ saṃjñāṃ dṛṣṭvā cakre haro paraḥ | alaṃ cāpaladoṣeṇa tapaḥ kurvaṃtu bho gaṇāḥ

Translation

നന്ദിയും ദണ്ഡധാരിയായ പരിചാരകനും നൽകിയ സൂചന കണ്ട പരമ ഹരൻ (ശിവൻ) ആജ്ഞാപിച്ചു—“ചാപല്യദോഷം മതി; ഹേ ഗണങ്ങളേ, തപസ് അനുഷ്ഠിക്കുവിൻ!”

Word by Word

• नन्दी: Nandin
• नन्दी: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: नन्दिन् (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st), एकवचन

• दण्डधरः: staff-bearer
• दण्डधरः: Karta (Subject qualifier/कर्ता-विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: दण्ड + धर (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st), एकवचन; ‘दण्डं धरति’ इति उपपद-तत्पुरुष

• संज्ञाम्: a sign/signal
• संज्ञाम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: संज्ञा (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd/कर्म), एकवचन

• दृष्ट्वा: having seen
• दृष्ट्वा: Purvakala-kriya (पूर्वकालक्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: दृश् (धातु)
• Form: क्त्वा (Absolutive/Gerund), अव्ययभाव; ‘having seen’

• चक्रे: made/did
• चक्रे: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: कृ (धातु)
• Form: लिट् (Perfect), आत्मनेपद; प्रथमपुरुष, एकवचन

• हरः: Hara (Śiva)
• हरः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: हर (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st), एकवचन

• परः: supreme
• परः: Karta (Subject qualifier/कर्ता-विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: पर (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st), एकवचन

• अलम्: enough (of)
• अलम्: Discourse particle (निपात)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: अलम् (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय, निषेध/पर्याप्त्यर्थ (enough/stop)

• चापलदोषेण: by/with the fault of fickleness
• चापलदोषेण: Karana/Hetu (Instrument/Cause/करण-हेतु)
• Type: Noun
• Root: चापल + दोष (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, तृतीया (3rd/करण), एकवचन; ‘चापलस्य दोषः’ इति षष्ठी-तत्पुरुष

• तपः: austerity/penance
• तपः: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: तपस् (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd/कर्म), एकवचन

• कुर्वन्तु: let them do
• कुर्वन्तु: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: कृ (धातु)
• Form: लोट् (Imperative), परस्मैपद; तृतीयपुरुष, बहुवचन

• भो: O!
• भो: Address (सम्बोधन)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: भो (अव्यय)
• Form: सम्बोधन-निपात (vocative particle)

• गणाः: attendants/groups (gaṇas)
• गणाः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: गण (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st), बहुवचन

Speaker

Narrator (Purāṇic voice; likely Sūta/Lomaharṣaṇa in Nāgara-khaṇḍa context)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Type: kshetra

Visual Art Cues

Scene: Nandī and a staff-bearing attendant signal; Śiva, majestic and calm, raises a hand in command; the gaṇas pause, their play arrested, turning toward austerity.

Characters & Entities

• Nandī
• Śiva (Hara)
• Gaṇas

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Spiritual progress requires steadiness; one must abandon fickleness and embrace disciplined tapas.

Which specific holy site (Tīrtha) is glorified here?

This verse sits within a Tīrthamāhātmya chapter, but the specific tīrtha name is not stated in the snippet.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

Tapas (austerity/penance) is prescribed as the corrective to mental restlessness.