Skanda Purana — Mahesvara Khanda, Shloka 42
रक्षरक्ष महाविष्णो त्वं हि नः परमो गुरुः । यज्ञोऽसि त्वं सुरश्रेष्ठ भयान्मां परिमोचय
rakṣarakṣa mahāviṣṇo tvaṃ hi naḥ paramo guruḥ | yajño'si tvaṃ suraśreṣṭha bhayānmāṃ parimocaya
«Protège-moi, protège-moi, ô Mahāviṣṇu ! Tu es vraiment notre Maître suprême. Tu es toi-même le sacrifice, ô le meilleur des dieux : délivre-moi de cette peur.»
Dakṣa (addressing Viṣṇu, inferred from immediate narrative continuity)
Tirtha: Kedāra/Kedārakṣetra
Type: kshetra
Scene: Dakṣa, trembling, prostrates or stands with folded hands before Mahāviṣṇu, pleading ‘rakṣa rakṣa’; Viṣṇu appears calm, luminous, embodying the sacrificial principle amid surrounding darkness.
FAQs
In fear and crisis, one seeks refuge in the divine as both guide (guru) and the very essence of sacred duty (yajña).
The broader narrative belongs to Kedārakhaṇḍa, associated with Kedāra/Kedārnāth sacred geography, though this verse itself is a supplication to Viṣṇu.
No direct rite is prescribed; the verse frames Viṣṇu as “Yajña,” highlighting the sanctity of sacrificial dharma.