Skanda Purana — Mahesvara Khanda, Shloka 3
युधिष्ठिर उवाच । देवि पूज्ये महाशक्ते कृष्णस्य भगिनि प्रिये । नत्वा त्वां शरणं यामि मनोवाक्कायकर्मभिः
yudhiṣṭhira uvāca | devi pūjye mahāśakte kṛṣṇasya bhagini priye | natvā tvāṃ śaraṇaṃ yāmi manovākkāyakarmabhiḥ
Yudhiṣṭhira sprach: O Göttin, würdig der Verehrung, o Große Kraft, geliebte Schwester Kṛṣṇas! Nachdem ich mich vor dir verneigt habe, nehme ich Zuflucht bei dir mit Geist, Wort, Leib und Tat.
Yudhiṣṭhira
Type: kshetra
Listener: Devī (addressed directly)
Scene: Yudhiṣṭhira stands with folded hands before the Devī’s shrine, head bowed; the brothers stand respectfully behind. The moment is intimate and solemn—an explicit vow of refuge through all faculties.
FAQs
True refuge in the Goddess is total—uniting thought, word, bodily conduct, and ethical action.
The hymn is framed within a kṣetra context where Devī is worshipped as a protective power for pilgrims.
A stotra-style act of śaraṇāgati (taking refuge) expressed through bowing and inner-outer dedication.