Skanda Purana — Mahesvara Khanda, Shloka 35
चत्वरेषु दुरारोहः पर्वते कुरवस्तथा । निर्झरेषु प्रवाहाख्यो माणिभद्रो निधिष्वपि
catvareṣu durārohaḥ parvate kuravastathā | nirjhareṣu pravāhākhyo māṇibhadro nidhiṣvapi
چوراہوں پر وہ دُراروہ (جس تک پہنچنا دشوار) ہے؛ پہاڑوں پر وہ کُرَو ہے۔ آبشاروں میں وہ پروَاہاکھْیَ کہلاتا ہے، اور نِدھیوں—پوشیدہ خزانوں—میں بھی وہ مانِبھدر کے روپ میں قائم ہے۔
Lomaharṣaṇa (Sūta), narrating to the sages (deduced from Māheśvarakhaṇḍa context)
Tirtha: Catuṣpatha (crossroads) / Parvata-sthala / Nirjhara-tīrtha / Nidhi-sthāna
Type: ghat
Scene: A pilgrim at a four-way crossroads meets Durāroha, a hard-to-approach guardian; then a mountain ridge with Kurava standing sentinel; a cascading waterfall where Pravāhākhya appears within the spray; and a subterranean vault where Māṇibhadra guards glittering treasures.
FAQs
Guardianship extends to risky thresholds (crossroads, mountains, torrents) and to wealth itself, urging reverence and restraint.
No single site is named; the verse sacralizes common pilgrimage terrains and liminal points.
Invoke the appropriate guardian-name when approaching crossings, mountain paths, waterfalls, or places associated with hidden wealth.