Skanda Purana — Mahesvara Khanda, Shloka 13
अवगाह्य स्थितवता क्रियते प्राणिपालना । अहो धन्योसि विप्रेंद्राः साहाय्येन तवाचल
avagāhya sthitavatā kriyate prāṇipālanā | aho dhanyosi vipreṃdrāḥ sāhāyyena tavācala
जो तुम्हारे आश्रय में आकर निवास करते हैं, उनके द्वारा प्राणियों की रक्षा सिद्ध होती है। अहो! हे अचल, तुम धन्य हो; तुम्हारे सहारे से तो विप्रश्रेष्ठ भी पोषित होते हैं।
Sūta (Lomaharṣaṇa), narrating
Tirtha: Giri-āśraya kṣetra (mountain refuge)
Type: kshetra
Listener: the mountain (Achala/Bhūdhara addressed)
Scene: At the mountain’s foothills, brāhmaṇas and ascetics dwell in hermitages; animals and travelers find safety, suggesting the mountain’s protective embrace.
FAQs
Providing refuge and support to the righteous is a form of protecting life and upholding dharma.
A sacred mountain refuge is praised, but the verse does not name a specific tīrtha.
No explicit ritual is prescribed; the merit of offering shelter/support is emphasized.