Skanda Purana — Mahesvara Khanda, Shloka 24
दुष्टान्पालय साधूंश्च स्वर्गमेवमवाप्स्यसि । बलं च लभ्यते पुत्र देवीनां सुप्रसादतः
duṣṭānpālaya sādhūṃśca svargamevamavāpsyasi | balaṃ ca labhyate putra devīnāṃ suprasādataḥ
Supilin at pamahalaan ang masasama, at ingatan ang mga banal—sa gayon ay makakamtan mo ang langit. At ang lakas din, anak ko, ay natatamo sa pamamagitan ng mapagpalang biyaya ng mga Devī.
Unspecified adviser (contextual instruction to Barbarīka; narrative within Māheśvarakhaṇḍa)
Scene: Twofold tableau: a ruler restrains a wrongdoer with measured authority while sheltering sages/virtuous people; above or behind, Devī’s benign presence indicates the source of strength.
FAQs
Righteous power is justified when used to restrain wrongdoing and protect the good, and true strength is rooted in divine grace.
No specific tīrtha is named yet; the text soon points to a particular sacred kṣetra for Devī worship.
Implicitly, seeking Devī’s favor (ārādhana) as the means to obtain strength.