Skanda Purana — Mahesvara Khanda, Shloka 165
सुरेषु सर्वेषु वसामि चाहं विप्रेषु शास्त्रार्थरतेषु चाहम् । साध्वीषु नारीषु तथा वसामि विना गुणान्नास्मि वसामि कुत्रचित्
sureṣu sarveṣu vasāmi cāhaṃ vipreṣu śāstrārtharateṣu cāham | sādhvīṣu nārīṣu tathā vasāmi vinā guṇānnāsmi vasāmi kutracit
میں تمام دیوتاؤں میں بستی ہوں؛ میں شاستروں کے معانی میں مگن برہمنوں میں بھی بستی ہوں۔ اسی طرح میں نیک خواتین میں بستی ہوں۔ لیکن خوبیوں کے بغیر، میں کہیں بھی نہیں بستی۔
Śakti personified (the woman)
Scene: An allegorical tableau: a radiant presence (Dharma/Śrī/Devī as ‘indwelling’) moving among devas, a seated brāhmaṇa expounding śāstra-artha, and a sādhvī woman with calm composure; the same presence turns away from a figure lacking virtues, leaving them in dimness.
FAQs
Divine power abides where virtues and dharma are present—among the devas, the scripturally grounded, and the ethically pure.
No site is specified; the focus is on inner sacred geography—guṇa and dharma as the true abode of śakti.
No explicit ritual is given; the implied discipline is cultivation of guṇas through śāstra-study and righteous conduct.