Skanda Purana — Nagara Khanda, Shloka 81
अन्यत्रापि स्थितो मर्त्यो मंत्रमेतं त्रिरक्षरम् । यः स्मरिष्यति संसुप्तो न हिंस्यः स्यादहेर्हि सः
anyatrāpi sthito martyo maṃtrametaṃ trirakṣaram | yaḥ smariṣyati saṃsupto na hiṃsyaḥ syādaherhi saḥ
Walaupun seorang insan berada di tempat lain, sesiapa yang mengingati mantra tiga suku kata ini—walau ketika tidur—tidak akan dicederakan oleh ular.
Śiva (Vṛṣabhadhvaja)
Tirtha: Nāgara (tri-akṣara mantra)
Type: kshetra
Scene: A traveler sleeps under a tree on a pilgrimage road; a serpent approaches but halts as a luminous syllabic aura (three seed-like letters) surrounds the sleeper, turning the snake away.
FAQs
Constant remembrance of Śiva’s mantra is taught as a shield—so potent that even unconscious recollection (in sleep) grants protection.
The teaching appears within the Hāṭakeśvara-kṣetra account in the Nāgarakhaṇḍa’s Tīrthamāhātmya.
Smaraṇa (mental recollection) of the trirakṣara-mantra is prescribed as a protective practice.