Skanda Purana — Nagara Khanda, Shloka 18
कात्यायनी ततश्चक्रे भुजद्वादशकं तदा । जग्राह च द्रुतं तानि सुरास्त्राणि दिवौकसाम्
kātyāyanī tataścakre bhujadvādaśakaṃ tadā | jagrāha ca drutaṃ tāni surāstrāṇi divaukasām
Alors Kātyāyanī fit paraître douze bras, et saisit promptement ces armes célestes, appartenant aux devas, habitants du séjour divin.
Narrator (contextual Purāṇic narration; specific speaker not explicit in this verse)
Type: kshetra
Listener: Dvija-uttama (implied continuing address)
Scene: Kātyāyanī suddenly manifests twelve arms like a blossoming halo of limbs, each hand swiftly grasping a celestial weapon; devas look on in awe as the arsenal becomes an icon.
FAQs
When dharma is threatened, the Divine Mother manifests the needed power and instruments to protect the worlds.
This passage serves as narrative groundwork for the Vindhya-focused sacred geography that follows in the chapter sequence.
No explicit ritual appears; the verse highlights the Goddess’s empowering for cosmic protection.