Skanda Purana — Nagara Khanda, Shloka 24
देवा ऊचुः । कालेया इति दैत्या ये हतशेषाः सुरैः कृताः । ते समुद्रं समाश्रित्य निघ्नंति शुभकारिणः
devā ūcuḥ | kāleyā iti daityā ye hataśeṣāḥ suraiḥ kṛtāḥ | te samudraṃ samāśritya nighnaṃti śubhakāriṇaḥ
Die Götter sprachen: „Jene Daityas, die Kāleyas genannt werden und nach ihrer Niederstreckung durch die Devas als Rest entkamen, haben im Ozean Zuflucht genommen; von dort aus erschlagen sie die, welche Gutes wirken und das Heil der Welt fördern.“
Devas
Tirtha: Mahārṇava/Samudra (contextual)
Type: kshetra
Scene: The devas speak gravely, describing the surviving Kāleya daityas hiding in the ocean and attacking beneficent beings; the mood turns urgent and protective.
FAQs
When adharma hides behind strongholds, divine forces seek dhārmic means to restore protection for the righteous.
The narrative is set within the Nāgarakhaṇḍa’s tīrtha framework; this verse highlights the ocean as the demons’ refuge rather than a pilgrimage site.
None; it introduces the crisis that motivates a later sacred act and its tīrtha-related outcome.