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 said: O Goddess worthy of worship, O Great Power, beloved sister of Kṛṣṇa—having bowed to you, I take refuge in you with mind, speech, body, and deeds.
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.