Skanda Purana — Mahesvara Khanda, Shloka 21
क्षेत्रपालाः स्थिताश्चैव यथास्थाने निरूपिताः । इति वः क्षेत्रपालानां सृष्टिः प्रोक्ता समासतः
kṣetrapālāḥ sthitāścaiva yathāsthāne nirūpitāḥ | iti vaḥ kṣetrapālānāṃ sṛṣṭiḥ proktā samāsataḥ
ഇങ്ങനെ ക്ഷേത്രപാലന്മാർ തത്തത്ത സ്ഥാനങ്ങളിൽ നിയോഗിക്കപ്പെട്ടു നിലകൊണ്ടു. ഈവിധം ക്ഷേത്രപാലന്മാരുടെ സൃഷ്ടി നിങ്ങളോട് സംക്ഷേപമായി പറഞ്ഞിരിക്കുന്നു.
Sūta (Lomaharṣaṇa) to the sages (deduced from Māheśvarakhaṇḍa narrative style)
Tirtha: Kṣetrapāla system (general)
Type: kshetra
Scene: A concluding tableau: the guardians stand stationed at their appointed places—some celestial, some subterranean, some earthly—forming an invisible protective lattice around sacred spaces.
FAQs
Sacred spaces are not merely physical; they are ritually guarded and ordered, emphasizing reverence and disciplined conduct at holy places.
No single tīrtha is named in this verse; it describes a general arrangement of guardians across sacred locales.
A contextual prescription: recognize and honor the appointed guardians (Kṣetrapālas) when approaching or worshiping at sacred sites.