Skanda Purana — Nagara Khanda, Shloka 24
शक्र उवाच । न वयं भवता हीना यास्यामोऽन्यत्र केशव । बाष्कलेर्दानवेन्द्रस्य भयाद्भीताः कथंचन
śakra uvāca | na vayaṃ bhavatā hīnā yāsyāmo'nyatra keśava | bāṣkalerdānavendrasya bhayādbhītāḥ kathaṃcana
ശക്രൻ പറഞ്ഞു—ഹേ കേശവാ, അങ്ങില്ലാതെ ഞങ്ങൾ മറ്റെവിടെയും പോകുകയില്ല; ദാനവേന്ദ്രൻ ബാഷ്കലിയുടെ ഭയത്തിൽ ഞങ്ങൾ എല്ലാതരത്തിലും വിറയുന്നു.
Śakra (Indra)
Listener: Keśava (Viṣṇu)
Scene: Indra, shaken by fear of the dānava Bāṣkali, pleads that the devas cannot go anywhere without Keśava; the emotional center is Indra’s vulnerability before Viṣṇu’s steadiness.
FAQs
Refuge in the Divine is central to dharma: even the devas seek protection through surrender to Viṣṇu.
The immediate setting continues the Camatkārapura kṣetra narrative, where the devas seek a means to overcome the threat.
No direct ritual is prescribed here; the verse emphasizes dependence on Keśava’s protective presence.