Skanda Purana — Kashi Khanda, Shloka 15
नापत्यं पाति नो माता न पिता नैव बांधवाः । पत्युश्चरणशुश्रूषा पायाद्वै केवलं स्त्रियम्
nāpatyaṃ pāti no mātā na pitā naiva bāṃdhavāḥ | patyuścaraṇaśuśrūṣā pāyādvai kevalaṃ striyam
子も守らず、母も父も、親族も守らない。女にとって真の護りとなるのは、ただ夫の御足もとへの献身の奉仕のみである。
Skanda (deduced; Kāśīkhaṇḍa commonly Skanda → Agastya)
Tirtha: Kāśī (Avimukta Kṣetra)
Type: kshetra
Scene: A solitary woman reflects on the unreliability of relatives; the image centers on her bowed posture, hands folded, contemplating the ideal of service at the husband’s feet as her only safeguard.
FAQs
It emphasizes traditional purāṇic strī-dharma: steadfast marital devotion is portrayed as a woman’s principal refuge amid worldly uncertainty.
The broader frame is Kāśī (Vārāṇasī) in the Kāśīkhaṇḍa, though this particular verse focuses on dharma rather than naming a tirtha.
No explicit ritual is prescribed; the verse frames dharmic conduct (pati-sevā) as the protective discipline.