Skanda Purana — Mahesvara Khanda, Shloka 4
समागम्याथ मां प्रोचुर्नारद व्रियतां वरः । प्रोक्तं तानार्च्य च मया क्रियतां स्थानरक्षणम्
samāgamyātha māṃ procurnārada vriyatāṃ varaḥ | proktaṃ tānārcya ca mayā kriyatāṃ sthānarakṣaṇam
അപ്പോൾ അവർ എന്റെ അടുക്കൽ വന്ന് പറഞ്ഞു—“ഹേ നാരദാ, ഒരു വരം തിരഞ്ഞെടുക്കുക.” ഞാൻ അവരെ ആരാധിച്ച് പറഞ്ഞു—“ഈ പുണ്യസ്ഥാനത്തിന്റെ സംരക്ഷണം നടപ്പാകട്ടെ.”
Unspecified narrator addressing Nārada (contextual)
Tirtha: Śālā
Type: kshetra
Scene: The Trimūrti approach Nārada and offer a boon; Nārada, after respectful worship, requests protection of the sacred place. The scene shows divine figures descending, Nārada in añjali, and a luminous boundary around the kṣetra indicating divine safeguarding.
FAQs
The highest boon sought by the righteous is the safeguarding of dharma—here expressed as protection of a sacred place and its order.
The verse references a “sthāna” (holy station) without naming it; the adhyāya context supplies the particular locale.
Honoring the deities (arcana) and formally requesting “sthānarakṣaṇam” (protection of the sacred precinct).