Skanda Purana — Mahesvara Khanda, Shloka 15
त्वं समुद्धरसि विप्रान्किमतः प्रोच्यते तव । अन्येऽपि जीव बहुधात्वामुपाश्रित्य भूधर
tvaṃ samuddharasi viprānkimataḥ procyate tava | anye'pi jīva bahudhātvāmupāśritya bhūdhara
أنت ترفعُ شأنَ البراهمة وتكفلهم—فماذا يُقال بعدُ في مدحك؟ حقًّا، يا حاملَ الأرض، إنّ كائناتٍ كثيرةً أخرى تعيش على وجوهٍ شتّى باتّخاذها لك ملجأً.
Sūta (Lomaharṣaṇa), narrating
Tirtha: Bhūdhara-āśraya (mountain refuge tīrtha)
Type: kshetra
Listener: Bhūdhara/Achala (mountain)
Scene: The mountain is shown as a vast protector: brāhmaṇas study and perform rites at the foothills while varied creatures—birds, deer, villagers—take shelter across its slopes.
FAQs
Supporting the wise and giving refuge to life is a supreme form of dharma worthy of praise.
A mountain refuge is praised without naming a particular tīrtha.
No explicit ritual; the verse emphasizes protective support and refuge as dharmic merit.