Skanda Purana — Mahesvara Khanda, Shloka 150
स्मरात्मानं यदर्थं त्वमुत्पन्नोऽसि महेश्वरात् । साधूनां पालनार्थाय दुष्टसंहरणाय च । सुरविप्रकृते जन्म जीवितं च महात्मनाम्
smarātmānaṃ yadarthaṃ tvamutpanno'si maheśvarāt | sādhūnāṃ pālanārthāya duṣṭasaṃharaṇāya ca | suraviprakṛte janma jīvitaṃ ca mahātmanām
Souviens-toi de ta propre mission—pourquoi tu es né de Maheśvara : protéger les vertueux et anéantir les méchants. Pour le bien des dieux et des brāhmaṇas, la naissance et même la vie des grandes âmes sont assumées en sacrifice.
Keśava (Viṣṇu)
Listener: Skanda (implied)
Scene: An elder deity/guide admonishes Skanda to remember his divine mandate: protect sādhus and destroy the wicked; the cosmic order (dharma) stands behind him like a standard.
FAQs
Incarnation and power are justified by service to dharma—protecting the good and restraining destructive forces.
No specific sacred geography is cited; the verse teaches the universal puranic mission of divine embodiment.
None; it is an ethical-theological reminder of duty (dharma) rather than a rite.