Skanda Purana — Mahesvara Khanda, Shloka 27
जेपुर्जप्यं मुनिवरा व्याधविद्धा मृगा इव । जहुः कांतिं च सूर्याद्या नीहाराश्छांदयन्दिशः
jepurjapyaṃ munivarā vyādhaviddhā mṛgā iva | jahuḥ kāṃtiṃ ca sūryādyā nīhārāśchāṃdayandiśaḥ
Les plus grands sages hâtèrent leurs récitations sacrées, tels des cerfs frappés par le chasseur. Le soleil et les autres luminaires perdirent leur éclat, et d’épaisses brumes voilèrent les directions.
Narrator (Sūta/Lomaharṣaṇa tradition)
Listener: Pṛthāsuta (addressed in adjacent verse) / epic-audience
Scene: Sages, startled like wounded deer, quicken their japa; the sun’s brilliance fades; mist curtains the horizons, swallowing the directions.
FAQs
In times of cosmic disturbance, the sages respond with japa—showing mantra as a stabilizing dharmic refuge.
No tīrtha is specified; the verse highlights the rishis’ spiritual response rather than a pilgrimage location.
Japa (muttered recitation) is explicitly referenced as the sages’ practice in response to ominous signs.