Skanda Purana — Brahma Khanda, Shloka 7
यो भूस्वरूपेण बिभर्ति विश्वं पायात्स भूमेर्गिरिशोऽष्टमूर्तिः । योऽपां स्वरूपेण नृणां करोति संजीनं सोऽवतु मां जलेभ्यः
yo bhūsvarūpeṇa bibharti viśvaṃ pāyātsa bhūmergiriśo'ṣṭamūrtiḥ | yo'pāṃ svarūpeṇa nṛṇāṃ karoti saṃjīnaṃ so'vatu māṃ jalebhyaḥ
Möge Girīśa, der achtgestaltige Herr, mich durch seine Gestalt als Erde schützen—er trägt das Weltall, indem er selbst der Grund ist. Und möge er, der zur Gestalt der Wasser wird und den Wesen Leben schenkt, mich vor Gefahren bewahren, die aus dem Wasser entstehen.
Anonymous Purāṇic narrator (aṣṭamūrti-Śiva kavaca invocation)
Tirtha: Bhūmi-mūrti and Āpaḥ-mūrti aspects of Girīśa (Aṣṭamūrti)
Type: kshetra
Scene: Two-panel protective vision: (1) Śiva as Bhūmimūrti—earth-toned, bearing mountains and forests, steady and vast; (2) Śiva as Āpomūrti—water-toned, flowing with rivers and waves, bestowing life; devotee stands between, protected from land and water perils.
FAQs
Śiva is present as the very elements that sustain the world; remembering Him as Earth and Water grants stability and safety.
No specific tīrtha is named; the verse uses elemental forms (earth and water) rather than a geographic shrine.
Elemental kavaca-invocation: calling upon Śiva as Bhū and Āpaḥ for protection, especially from water-related harm.