Skanda Purana — Nagara Khanda, Shloka 74
तं श्रुत्वा ये न यास्यंति पातालं पन्नगाधमाः । युष्मद्वाक्याद्भविष्यंति निर्विषास्ते न संशयः
taṃ śrutvā ye na yāsyaṃti pātālaṃ pannagādhamāḥ | yuṣmadvākyādbhaviṣyaṃti nirviṣāste na saṃśayaḥ
Ces serpents abjects qui, l’ayant entendu, ne descendent pas à Pātāla, par ta seule parole deviendront sans venin ; il n’y a nul doute.
Śrī Bhagavān
Tirtha: Nagara (name implied; formal naming occurs in v.78)
Type: kshetra
Listener: Śaunaka and ṛṣis (frame typical) / audience (not explicit)
Scene: A tense encounter with serpents: a revered speaker’s words cause the nāgas’ poison to fade; the atmosphere shifts from threat to protection, suggesting a sanctified boundary around the place.
FAQs
Sacred sound backed by dharma has coercive protective power—subduing harmful forces and transforming them.
The promise is tied to the chapter’s tīrtha-setting where the mantra is to be proclaimed, highlighting the site’s spiritual authority.
Hearing the proclaimed mantra functions as the operative rite; the consequence is the pacification/neutralization of serpent venom.