Skanda Purana — Mahesvara Khanda, Shloka 27
जेपुर्जप्यं मुनिवरा व्याधविद्धा मृगा इव । जहुः कांतिं च सूर्याद्या नीहाराश्छांदयन्दिशः
jepurjapyaṃ munivarā vyādhaviddhā mṛgā iva | jahuḥ kāṃtiṃ ca sūryādyā nīhārāśchāṃdayandiśaḥ
Die erlesensten Weisen beschleunigten ihr heiliges Murmeln der Mantras, wie Hirsche, vom Jäger getroffen. Sonne und andere Gestirne verloren ihren Glanz, und dichte Nebel verhüllten die Himmelsrichtungen.
Narrator (Sūta/Lomaharṣaṇa tradition)
Listener: Pṛthāsuta (addressed in adjacent verse) / epic-audience
Scene: Sages, startled like wounded deer, quicken their japa; the sun’s brilliance fades; mist curtains the horizons, swallowing the directions.
FAQs
In times of cosmic disturbance, the sages respond with japa—showing mantra as a stabilizing dharmic refuge.
No tīrtha is specified; the verse highlights the rishis’ spiritual response rather than a pilgrimage location.
Japa (muttered recitation) is explicitly referenced as the sages’ practice in response to ominous signs.