Markandeya Purana — Adhyaya 92, Shloka 25
Adhyaya 92 — Devi’s Assurance of Protection and the Fruits of Reciting the Devi Mahatmyam
अरण्ये प्रान्तरे वापि दावाग्निपरिवारितः ।
दस्युभिर्वा वृतः शून्ये गृहीतो वापि शत्रुभिः ॥
araṇye prāntare vāpi dāvāgni-parivāritaḥ | dasyubhir vā vṛtaḥ śūnye gṛhīto vāpi śatrubhiḥ ||
Maging nasa gubat o sa isang ilang na pook, na napaliligiran ng naglalagablab na sunog sa kagubatan; o napapalibutan ng mga tulisan sa isang liblib na lugar; o kahit masakmal ng mga kaaway—
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FAQs
The verse universalizes refuge (śaraṇāgati): in situations where human support collapses—nature’s threat, social violence, enemy capture—turning to the divine is presented as the stabilizing dharma of the vulnerable.
This is phalaśruti material—pragmatic assurances attached to sacred narrative—rather than one of the five classical purāṇic characteristics.
Forest, fire, bandits, and enemies can be read as symbols of samsāric hazards: ignorance (wilderness), consuming passions (fire), predatory impulses (bandits), and hostile inner narratives (enemies). Devi-remembrance is the integrative power that ‘rescues’ the psyche.