Skanda Purana — Avanti Khanda, Shloka 26
कार्तवीर्यो जयं लब्ध्वा संख्ये हत्वा द्विजोत्तमम् । जगाम स्वां पुरीं हृष्टः कृतान्तवशमोहितः
kārtavīryo jayaṃ labdhvā saṃkhye hatvā dvijottamam | jagāma svāṃ purīṃ hṛṣṭaḥ kṛtāntavaśamohitaḥ
Kārtavīrya, nachdem er den Sieg errungen und im Kampf den erhabensten der Brahmanen erschlagen hatte, kehrte froh in seine Stadt zurück; doch war er betört vom Zwang Kṛtāntas, des Todes (des Schicksals).
Narrator (contextual Purāṇic narration; specific speaker not in snippet)
Tirtha: Revā/Narmadā region (contextual)
Type: kshetra
Scene: A triumphant king returning to his city with banners and drums, yet a shadow of Death behind him—his eyes bright with victory but veiled by delusion; the slain brāhmaṇa’s absence haunts the scene.
FAQs
Worldly victory can mask inner downfall; actions against dharma invite the binding power of fate and death.
No tīrtha is directly praised in this line; it continues the Revā Khaṇḍa narrative sequence.
None.