Skanda Purana — Nagara Khanda, Shloka 26
संप्राप्तेऽपि कबंधाख्ये राक्षसे बलवत्तरे । त्वया रात्रिमुखे घोरे सभार्योऽहं प्ररक्षितः
saṃprāpte'pi kabaṃdhākhye rākṣase balavattare | tvayā rātrimukhe ghore sabhāryo'haṃ prarakṣitaḥ
Même lorsque le puissant rākṣasa nommé Kabandha nous fit face, au terrible seuil de la nuit, tu m’as protégé—avec mon épouse.
Rāghava (Rāma) (continued lament)
Type: kshetra
Listener: (contextual) Śaunaka and sages at Naimiṣāraṇya
Scene: A night scene in the forest: a fearsome Kabandha-like rākṣasa confronts a small party; the protector stands alert, shielding a man and his wife at the ‘onset of night’.
FAQs
Kṣatriya-dharma—protecting the vulnerable and standing firm in danger—is praised as sacred duty, remembered as spiritual merit.
The Sarayū tīrtha is the narrative frame; this verse adds Ramāyaṇa remembrance to intensify the tīrtha’s emotional and dharmic significance.
None; it is a remembrance of protection during peril rather than a direct instruction on rites.