Skanda Purana — Prabhasa Khanda, Shloka 73
आत्मा च सततं पुत्र रक्षितव्यः प्रयत्नतः । सर्वेभ्यः श्वापदेभ्यश्च म्लेच्छेभ्यस्तस्करादितः
ātmā ca satataṃ putra rakṣitavyaḥ prayatnataḥ | sarvebhyaḥ śvāpadebhyaśca mlecchebhyastaskarāditaḥ
Dan, wahai anakku, engkau harus senantiasa menjaga dirimu dengan sungguh-sungguh—dari segala binatang buas, dan dari para mleccha (orang asing yang memusuhi), para pencuri, dan semisalnya.
Mother (unnamed, within Pulastya’s narration)
Tirtha: Arbuda (contextual)
Type: kshetra
Listener: Purāṇic audience; within story, an elder addressing 'putra'
Scene: A parent/elder instructs a son before a forest journey: gestures toward lurking beasts and distant figures of thieves; the pilgrim holds a staff and water-pot.
FAQs
Dharma includes prudent self-protection; vigilance is a duty when traveling or living in risky places.
No particular tīrtha is mentioned; the verse supports the travel-and-forest narrative atmosphere typical of the Arbuda Khaṇḍa.
None; it is practical counsel rather than a ritual injunction.