मण्डूक इव सर्पेण गीर्यते मृत्युना जनः । बांधवैः संपरित्यक्तः प्रियैश्च परिवारितः
maṇḍūka iva sarpeṇa gīryate mṛtyunā janaḥ | bāṃdhavaiḥ saṃparityaktaḥ priyaiśca parivāritaḥ
كما تُبتلع الضفدعةُ من الحيّة، كذلك يُبتلع الإنسانُ بالموت؛ يتركه بعضُ ذوي القربى، غير أنّ الأحبّة يحيطون به.
Sūta (Lomaharṣaṇa) to the sages (deduced from Māheśvarakhaṇḍa context)
Scene: Symbolic tableau: a serpent swallowing a frog in the foreground; behind, a dying man with some relatives stepping back while a few loved ones remain close, helpless.
Death is inescapable and solitary; one should rely on dharma and devotion rather than social support.
No tīrtha is mentioned; the verse is ethical-philosophical rather than geographical.
None; it motivates inner preparation—japa, charity, and devotion—before the final moment.