Skanda Purana — Prabhasa Khanda, Shloka 72
कीर्तिर्धृतिश्च लक्ष्मीश्च नव देव्यः सिषेविरे । सप्तविंशतिरिंदोस्तु दाक्षायण्यो महाव्रताः
kīrtirdhṛtiśca lakṣmīśca nava devyaḥ siṣevire | saptaviṃśatiriṃdostu dākṣāyaṇyo mahāvratāḥ
Kīrti, Dhṛti dan Lakṣmī—bersama dewi-dewi yang lain—sembilan dewi ilahi melayani baginda. Dan dua puluh tujuh puteri Dakṣa, para wanita yang berikrar agung, adalah milik Indu (Bulan).
Sūta (Lomaharṣaṇa) to the sages (deduced)
Tirtha: Prabhāsa-kṣetra
Type: kshetra
Scene: A celestial assembly: Soma enthroned, attended by nine goddesses including Kīrti, Dhṛti, Lakṣmī; behind them a garland-like circle of twenty-seven Nakṣatra maidens, each marked by a star emblem, signifying the lunar month’s rhythm.
FAQs
Cosmic order is upheld through vowed powers (mahāvrata) and divine virtues (kīrti, dhṛti, lakṣmī) aligned with Soma’s rule.
Prabhāsa Kṣetra, as the māhātmya narrates Soma’s relationship with the Nakṣatras to magnify the kṣetra’s sacred scope.
No direct ritual; the phrase mahāvratāḥ highlights vow-based sanctity associated with the Dākṣāyaṇīs.