Skanda Purana — Nagara Khanda, Shloka 28
तमुवाच विभो पाहि पाहि पापर्द्धिकादथ । तपसा किं च धर्मेण मौनेन च जपेन च
tamuvāca vibho pāhi pāhi pāparddhikādatha | tapasā kiṃ ca dharmeṇa maunena ca japena ca
Elle lui dit : «Ô Seigneur, protège-moi, protège-moi de ce fléau né du péché ! À quoi servent l’austérité, le dharma, le silence ou la récitation des mantras, si l’on n’accorde pas refuge à celui qui tremble de peur ?»
Vṛndā (addressing the tapasvin)
Type: kshetra
Scene: Vṛndā, trembling, hands raised in supplication, addresses the radiant ascetic: her face shows fear and moral urgency; the ascetic remains composed, luminous, embodying refuge.
FAQs
Dharma is tested in action: protecting one who seeks refuge outweighs mere austerity, silence, or ritual practice.
The appeal occurs in the hermitage within the Nāgarakhaṇḍa tīrtha-region, where saintly protection is part of the site’s sanctifying power.
Tapas, mauna, and japa are referenced, but not prescribed; they are invoked to stress that compassionate refuge is the higher dharma.