Skanda Purana — Kashi Khanda, Shloka 62
ऊरुद्वयं च विपुला ललिता च जानू जंघे जवाऽवतु कठोरतरात्र गुल्फौ । पादौ रसातलचरांगुलिदेशमुग्रा चांद्री नखान्त्पदतलं तलवासिनी च
ūrudvayaṃ ca vipulā lalitā ca jānū jaṃghe javā'vatu kaṭhoratarātra gulphau | pādau rasātalacarāṃgulideśamugrā cāṃdrī nakhāntpadatalaṃ talavāsinī ca
Ingatan nawa ni Vipulā ang aking dalawang hita; ingatan nawa ni Lalitā ang aking mga tuhod. Bantayan nawa ni Javā ang aking mga binti; at ng lubhang matatag na Diyosa ang aking mga bukung-bukong. Ingatan nawa ni Mugrā, na nagpapasuko maging sa mga nilalang ng kailaliman, ang aking mga paa at mga daliri; ingatan nawa ni Cāndrī ang aking mga kuko sa paa at mga talampakan; at bantayan nawa ni Talavāsinī ang ilalim ng aking mga paa.
Skanda (contextual, Kāśīkhaṇḍa narration)
Tirtha: Kāśī-kṣetra (general protective kavaca within Kāśī context)
Type: kshetra
Scene: A devotee in Kāśī mentally encircles the lower limbs with radiant Devī-forms—Vipulā at the thighs, Lalitā at the knees, Javā at the shanks, a firm guardian at the ankles, Mugrā subduing netherworld beings at the feet and toes, Cāndrī shining at nails and soles, Talavāsinī guarding the underside of the feet—while the Gaṅgā and temple silhouettes glow in the background.
FAQs
Devī’s protection is invoked as an all-encompassing ‘kavaca’—a disciplined remembrance that turns fear into faith and steadiness in dharma.
The broader setting is Kāśī (Vārāṇasī) in the Kāśīkhaṇḍa, where Devī’s protective grace is praised alongside Kāśī’s sanctity.
This verse functions as a kavaca-style recitation—an instruction by usage: chant to invoke protection over specific limbs.