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
Bahkan ketika rākṣasa perkasa bernama Kabandha menghadang, pada awal malam yang mengerikan engkau melindungi aku—bersama istriku.
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.