Skanda Purana — Mahesvara Khanda, Shloka 42
रक्षरक्ष महाविष्णो त्वं हि नः परमो गुरुः । यज्ञोऽसि त्वं सुरश्रेष्ठ भयान्मां परिमोचय
rakṣarakṣa mahāviṣṇo tvaṃ hi naḥ paramo guruḥ | yajño'si tvaṃ suraśreṣṭha bhayānmāṃ parimocaya
„Schütze mich, schütze mich, o Mahāviṣṇu! Du bist wahrlich unser höchster Guru. Du selbst bist das Opfer, o Bester der Götter—erlöse mich von dieser Furcht.“
Dakṣa (addressing Viṣṇu, inferred from immediate narrative continuity)
Tirtha: Kedāra/Kedārakṣetra
Type: kshetra
Scene: Dakṣa, trembling, prostrates or stands with folded hands before Mahāviṣṇu, pleading ‘rakṣa rakṣa’; Viṣṇu appears calm, luminous, embodying the sacrificial principle amid surrounding darkness.
FAQs
In fear and crisis, one seeks refuge in the divine as both guide (guru) and the very essence of sacred duty (yajña).
The broader narrative belongs to Kedārakhaṇḍa, associated with Kedāra/Kedārnāth sacred geography, though this verse itself is a supplication to Viṣṇu.
No direct rite is prescribed; the verse frames Viṣṇu as “Yajña,” highlighting the sanctity of sacrificial dharma.