Skanda Purana — Mahesvara Khanda, Shloka 93
तं खादितुं समायातः श्वाशिरस्युपरिस्थितः । नखांतरालसंलग्ना रक्षा तस्यैव पापिनः
taṃ khādituṃ samāyātaḥ śvāśirasyuparisthitaḥ | nakhāṃtarālasaṃlagnā rakṣā tasyaiva pāpinaḥ
അവനെ തിന്നാൻ ഒരു നായ വന്ന് അവന്റെ തലക്കുമീതെ നിന്നു. അപ്പോൾ അവന്റെ നഖങ്ങൾക്കിടയിൽ കുടുങ്ങിയിരുന്ന രക്ഷാകവചം തന്നെയാണ് ആ പാപിയുടെ രക്ഷയായത്.
Narrator (Sūta/Lomaharṣaṇa tradition within Māheśvarakhaṇḍa)
Listener: Brāhmaṇas
Scene: A corpse lies on the ground; a dog approaches to devour it. Close-up: the dead man’s hand with a small charm wedged between fingernails, glowing subtly as a protective force.
FAQs
Even a small trace of sacred protection associated with dharma can become a turning point in a fallen person’s fate.
Kedāra, where narratives illustrate how Śiva-linked merit protects and uplifts.
Implicitly, the keeping of a rakṣā (protective sacred token) is shown as efficacious; the broader context points to Śaiva protective marks (vibhūti/tripuṇḍra).