Skanda Purana — Mahesvara Khanda, Shloka 12
गजैस्तुरंगैः पादातैः पतद्भिः पतितैरपि । आकाशशिरसो भ्रष्टैः पंकजैरिव भूश्चिता
gajaisturaṃgaiḥ pādātaiḥ patadbhiḥ patitairapi | ākāśaśiraso bhraṣṭaiḥ paṃkajairiva bhūścitā
হাতি, ঘোড়া ও পদাতিক—কেউ পড়ছে, কেউ পড়ে আছে—তাদের দ্বারা পৃথিবী এমনভাবে ছেয়ে গেল, যেন আকাশশির থেকে ঝরে পড়া পদ্মে ভূমি আচ্ছাদিত।
Lomaharṣaṇa (Sūta) to the sages
Scene: The ground is densely covered with elephants, horses, and foot-soldiers—some mid-fall, some already fallen—rendered like a carpet of lotuses scattered from the sky’s crown.
FAQs
It underscores the impermanence of embodied power—armies and might collapse in a moment, while the Purāṇa frames such scenes as a reminder to seek dharma beyond pride.
No specific tīrtha is named in this verse; it is a battlefield tableau within the Kaumārikā-khaṇḍa narrative.
None in this verse; it is descriptive (yuddha-varṇana) rather than prescriptive (vrata/dāna/snānā).