Skanda Purana — Mahesvara Khanda, Shloka 13
अवगाह्य स्थितवता क्रियते प्राणिपालना । अहो धन्योसि विप्रेंद्राः साहाय्येन तवाचल
avagāhya sthitavatā kriyate prāṇipālanā | aho dhanyosi vipreṃdrāḥ sāhāyyena tavācala
जे तुझ्या आश्रयास येऊन तिथे वास करतात, त्यांच्या द्वारे प्राण्यांचे पालन-रक्षण सिद्ध होते. अहो! हे अचल, तू धन्य आहेस; तुझ्या साहाय्याने विप्रश्रेष्ठही पोसले जातात.
Sūta (Lomaharṣaṇa), narrating
Tirtha: Giri-āśraya kṣetra (mountain refuge)
Type: kshetra
Listener: the mountain (Achala/Bhūdhara addressed)
Scene: At the mountain’s foothills, brāhmaṇas and ascetics dwell in hermitages; animals and travelers find safety, suggesting the mountain’s protective embrace.
FAQs
Providing refuge and support to the righteous is a form of protecting life and upholding dharma.
A sacred mountain refuge is praised, but the verse does not name a specific tīrtha.
No explicit ritual is prescribed; the merit of offering shelter/support is emphasized.