Skanda Purana — Prabhasa Khanda, Shloka 2
स भृत्यः किल देवेश तव शम्भो महाप्रभः । प्रभोरनन्तरं भृत्य एष धर्मः सनातनः
sa bhṛtyaḥ kila deveśa tava śambho mahāprabhaḥ | prabhoranantaraṃ bhṛtya eṣa dharmaḥ sanātanaḥ
“Sesungguhnya dia ialah pelayanmu, wahai Tuhan para dewa—wahai Śambhu, Yang amat bercahaya. Selepas tuan barulah pelayan: inilah tertib dharma yang kekal.”
Devī (continuing her reasoning)
Tirtha: Kaparddī (as discussed in Prabhāsa darśana-krama)
Type: temple
Listener: Īśvara (Śiva)
Scene: Devī articulates a dharmic principle: Kaparddī is Śiva’s attendant; in eternal dharma, the master precedes the attendant—raising the tension that prompts Śiva’s clarification.
FAQs
Dharma includes proper order and protocol; the verse frames a doubt about why an attendant might receive priority in worship.
The discussion belongs to Prabhāsakṣetra Māhātmya (Prabhāsa), in the orbit of Someśvara’s sacred presence.
A principle of ritual precedence is debated—whether the servant should be approached only after the Lord.