Skanda Purana — Kashi Khanda, Shloka 50
मातस्त्वयाद्य विनिहत्य महासुरेंद्रं दुर्गं निसर्गविबुधार्पितदैत्यसैन्यम् । त्राताः स्म देवि सततं नमतां शरण्ये त्वत्तोऽपरः क इह यं शरणं व्रजामः
mātastvayādya vinihatya mahāsureṃdraṃ durgaṃ nisargavibudhārpitadaityasainyam | trātāḥ sma devi satataṃ namatāṃ śaraṇye tvatto'paraḥ ka iha yaṃ śaraṇaṃ vrajāmaḥ
Ô Mère, aujourd’hui, après avoir terrassé le grand seigneur des Asuras, sa forteresse et l’armée des Daityas, difficile à vaincre, comme si le destin l’avait dressée contre les dieux, tu nous as sauvés. Ô Devī, refuge de ceux qui se prosternent, qui donc, en ce monde, hormis toi, pourrions-nous prendre pour asile ?
Devas (deduced from content: collective voice praising Devī after slaying an asura-lord)
Tirtha: Kāśī-kṣetra
Type: kshetra
Scene: Battle aftermath: Devī stands victorious over the fallen mahāsurendra; devas with folded hands offer praise; the daitya army’s ‘durga’ (fortified formation) lies shattered; Devī radiates protective calm.
FAQs
Surrender (śaraṇāgati) to Devī is proclaimed as the highest protection; she alone is the ultimate refuge.
The larger frame is Kāśī in the Kāśī Khaṇḍa; the verse contributes to the celebratory tone of divine protection associated with the sacred region.
No explicit ritual is prescribed; the verse models a devotional act—bowing and taking refuge in the Goddess.