Skanda Purana — Mahesvara Khanda, Shloka 13
अवगाह्य स्थितवता क्रियते प्राणिपालना । अहो धन्योसि विप्रेंद्राः साहाय्येन तवाचल
avagāhya sthitavatā kriyate prāṇipālanā | aho dhanyosi vipreṃdrāḥ sāhāyyena tavācala
त्वामवगाह्य तवाश्रये स्थितैः प्राणिनां पालना सिद्ध्यति। अहो, हे विप्रेन्द्राः, अचल! तव साहाय्येन धन्योऽसि; त्वदाधारेण विप्रश्रेष्ठा अपि धार्यन्ते।
Sūta (Lomaharṣaṇa), narrating
Tirtha: Giri-āśraya kṣetra (mountain refuge)
Type: kshetra
Listener: the mountain (Achala/Bhūdhara addressed)
Scene: At the mountain’s foothills, brāhmaṇas and ascetics dwell in hermitages; animals and travelers find safety, suggesting the mountain’s protective embrace.
FAQs
Providing refuge and support to the righteous is a form of protecting life and upholding dharma.
A sacred mountain refuge is praised, but the verse does not name a specific tīrtha.
No explicit ritual is prescribed; the merit of offering shelter/support is emphasized.