Skanda Purana — Nagara Khanda, Shloka 43
साग्रमेका निशा यद्वन्मैथुने सक्तचेतसः । एतस्मिन्नंतरे देवास्तारकप्रद्रुता भयात् । ब्रह्माणं शरणं जग्मुः स्तुत्वा तं शरणं गताः
sāgramekā niśā yadvanmaithune saktacetasaḥ | etasminnaṃtare devāstārakapradrutā bhayāt | brahmāṇaṃ śaraṇaṃ jagmuḥ stutvā taṃ śaraṇaṃ gatāḥ
Bagi hati yang tenggelam dalam persetubuhan, satu malam terasa bagaikan seratus tahun. Dalam sela itu, para dewa—melarikan diri kerana takut akan Tāraka—pergi berlindung kepada Brahmā; mereka memuji-Nya dan memohon perlindungan.
Narrator (Purāṇic narration; speaker not explicit in snippet)
Scene: The devas, shaken by Tāraka’s terror, hurry to Brahmā’s abode; their faces show fear and urgency, hands folded in praise, while cosmic time seems stretched by the opening simile.
FAQs
Attachment distorts time and awareness; in crisis, the devas model seeking refuge through praise and surrender to a higher authority.
No specific tīrtha is named; the verse advances the mythic-historical frame within the Tīrthamāhātmya.
Implicitly, stuti (hymnic praise) and śaraṇāgati (seeking refuge) are presented as devotional responses, but no formal rite is prescribed.