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Skanda Purana — Kashi Khanda, Shloka 72

अंतकाले मनुष्याणां भिद्यमानेषु मर्मसु । वातेनातुद्यमानानां स्मृतिर्नैवोपजायते

aṃtakāle manuṣyāṇāṃ bhidyamāneṣu marmasu | vātenātudyamānānāṃ smṛtirnaivopajāyate

Zur Todesstunde, wenn die Lebenspunkte zerbrechen und innere Winde quälen, entsteht keinerlei Erinnerung.

अन्तकालेat the time of death
अन्तकाले:
Adhikaraṇa (Time/कालाधिकरण)
TypeNoun
Rootअन्तकाल (प्रातिपदिक)
Formपुंलिङ्ग, सप्तमी, एकवचन; तत्पुरुष (अन्तस्य कालः)
मनुष्याणाम्of humans
मनुष्याणाम्:
Ṣaṣṭhī-sambandha (Genitive relation/सम्बन्ध)
TypeNoun
Rootमनुष्य (प्रातिपदिक)
Formपुंलिङ्ग, षष्ठी, बहुवचन
भिद्यमानेषुwhile (they are) being pierced/split
भिद्यमानेषु:
Adhikaraṇa (Locative circumstance/अधिकरण)
TypeVerb
Rootभिद् (धातु)
Formवर्तमानकाले कर्मणि शतृ/शानच्-प्रत्ययान्त कृदन्त (Present passive participle), सप्तमी बहुवचन, नपुंसक/पुं/स्त्री (सप्तमी बहुवचन रूप); अर्थ: being split
मर्मसुin the vital points
मर्मसु:
Adhikaraṇa (Location/अधिकरण)
TypeNoun
Rootमर्म (प्रातिपदिक)
Formनपुंसकलिङ्ग, सप्तमी, बहुवचन
वातेनby wind (vāta)
वातेन:
Karaṇa (Instrument/करण)
TypeNoun
Rootवात (प्रातिपदिक)
Formपुंलिङ्ग, तृतीया, एकवचन
आतुद्यमानानाम्of those being tormented
आतुद्यमानानाम्:
Ṣaṣṭhī-sambandha (Genitive relation/सम्बन्ध)
TypeVerb
Rootआ-तुद् (धातु)
Formवर्तमानकाले कर्मणि शानच्-प्रत्ययान्त कृदन्त (Present passive participle), षष्ठी, बहुवचन; अर्थ: of those being tormented/struck
स्मृतिःmemory
स्मृतिः:
Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
TypeNoun
Rootस्मृति (प्रातिपदिक)
Formस्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन
not
:
Pratiṣedha (Negation/निषेध)
TypeIndeclinable
Rootन (अव्यय)
Formनिषेध-निपात
एवindeed
एव:
Avadhāraṇa (Emphasis/अवधारण)
TypeIndeclinable
Rootएव (अव्यय)
Formअव्यय, अवधारणार्थक (emphatic/only)
उपजायतेarises
उपजायते:
Kriya (Predicate/क्रिया)
TypeVerb
Rootउप-√जन् (धातु)
Formलट् (Present), प्रथमपुरुष, एकवचन, आत्मनेपद

Skanda (deduced: Kāśīkhaṇḍa commonly Skanda speaking to Agastya)

Tirtha: Avimukta (Kāśī)

Type: kshetra

Listener: null

Scene: A stark deathbed scene: the dying person’s body tense, subtle depiction of ‘vāta’ as swirling currents; attendants helpless; in the background, a faint silhouette of Kāśī/Viśveśvara indicating the promised remedy.

D
Death (antakāla)
S
Smṛti
V
Vāta
M
Marma

FAQs

Because death disrupts bodily and mental functions, relying on last-moment remembrance is uncertain; therefore one should seek protective spiritual supports and sacred contexts in advance.

Implicitly Avimukta/Kāśī, as the surrounding passage explains the special divine help available there at the moment of death.

No direct ritual is stated; the verse functions as a doctrinal warning about the difficulty of conscious remembrance at death.