Skanda Purana — Mahesvara Khanda, Shloka 2
स्थानस्य रक्षणार्थाय उपायं कुरु सुव्रत । ततो मया प्रतिज्ञातं करिष्ये स्थान रक्षणम्
sthānasya rakṣaṇārthāya upāyaṃ kuru suvrata | tato mayā pratijñātaṃ kariṣye sthāna rakṣaṇam
“या पवित्र स्थानाच्या रक्षणासाठी उपाय कर, हे सुव्रत।” तेव्हा मी प्रतिज्ञा केली—“मी या स्थानाचे रक्षण करीन।”
Nārada (continuing narration; internal quoted speech present)
Tirtha: Śālā
Type: kshetra
Scene: A council of brāhmaṇas requests Nārada to devise protection for the holy place; Nārada responds with a solemn vow gesture (right hand raised), with the sacred precinct visible—boundary markers, a shrine, and a tīrtha pool.
FAQs
Guarding and preserving sacred places is itself a dharmic duty, undertaken through resolve and vowed responsibility.
The verse speaks generally of ‘the place’ within the Śālā-māhātmya narrative; the specific site is Śālā-sthāna in this chapter’s context.
A protective vow/commitment (pratijñā) to undertake sthāna-rakṣaṇa (guardianship of the sacred site).