Skanda Purana — Nagara Khanda, Shloka 28
तमुवाच विभो पाहि पाहि पापर्द्धिकादथ । तपसा किं च धर्मेण मौनेन च जपेन च
tamuvāca vibho pāhi pāhi pāparddhikādatha | tapasā kiṃ ca dharmeṇa maunena ca japena ca
Dia berkata kepadanya: “Wahai Tuhan, lindungilah aku—lindungilah aku daripada bencana berdosa ini! Apakah gunanya tapa, dharma, berdiam diri, atau japa mantera, jika tidak dapat memberi perlindungan kepada yang ketakutan?”
Vṛndā (addressing the tapasvin)
Type: kshetra
Scene: Vṛndā, trembling, hands raised in supplication, addresses the radiant ascetic: her face shows fear and moral urgency; the ascetic remains composed, luminous, embodying refuge.
FAQs
Dharma is tested in action: protecting one who seeks refuge outweighs mere austerity, silence, or ritual practice.
The appeal occurs in the hermitage within the Nāgarakhaṇḍa tīrtha-region, where saintly protection is part of the site’s sanctifying power.
Tapas, mauna, and japa are referenced, but not prescribed; they are invoked to stress that compassionate refuge is the higher dharma.