Skanda Purana — Nagara Khanda, Shloka 28
तमुवाच विभो पाहि पाहि पापर्द्धिकादथ । तपसा किं च धर्मेण मौनेन च जपेन च
tamuvāca vibho pāhi pāhi pāparddhikādatha | tapasā kiṃ ca dharmeṇa maunena ca japena ca
Sie sprach zu ihm: „O Herr, beschütze mich—beschütze mich vor diesem sündhaften Unheil! Was nützen Askese, Dharma, Schweigen und Mantra-Rezitation, wenn man dem Erschrockenen keinen Zufluchtsort gewährt?“
Vṛndā (addressing the tapasvin)
Type: kshetra
Scene: Vṛndā, trembling, hands raised in supplication, addresses the radiant ascetic: her face shows fear and moral urgency; the ascetic remains composed, luminous, embodying refuge.
FAQs
Dharma is tested in action: protecting one who seeks refuge outweighs mere austerity, silence, or ritual practice.
The appeal occurs in the hermitage within the Nāgarakhaṇḍa tīrtha-region, where saintly protection is part of the site’s sanctifying power.
Tapas, mauna, and japa are referenced, but not prescribed; they are invoked to stress that compassionate refuge is the higher dharma.