Skanda Purana — Nagara Khanda, Shloka 57
म्रियन्ते वाजिनस्तस्य बृहन्तो वारणास्तथा । शत्रवः सर्वकाष्ठासु विग्रहार्थमुपस्थिताः
mriyante vājinastasya bṛhanto vāraṇāstathā | śatravaḥ sarvakāṣṭhāsu vigrahārthamupasthitāḥ
তার ঘোড়াগুলি মরতে লাগল, তদ্রূপ বৃহৎ বৃহৎ হাতিগুলিও; আর শত্রুরা সর্বদিক থেকে সংঘর্ষের উদ্দেশ্যে প্রস্তুত হয়ে উপস্থিত হল।
Narrator (contextual Purāṇic narrator within Nāgarakhaṇḍa; exact speaker not explicit in snippet)
Scene: Royal stables in mourning: dead horses and fallen elephants; generals report enemies massing on every frontier; banners visible on distant horizons; the king’s court in alarm.
FAQs
When a ruler’s fortune and protection decline, both internal strength (mounts, resources) and external security (borders) deteriorate—calling for dharmic correction.
Not specified in this shloka; it describes the crisis that frames the tīrtha narrative.
None directly; the verse reports calamities and imminent conflict.