Skanda Purana — Mahesvara Khanda, Shloka 12
गजैस्तुरंगैः पादातैः पतद्भिः पतितैरपि । आकाशशिरसो भ्रष्टैः पंकजैरिव भूश्चिता
gajaisturaṃgaiḥ pādātaiḥ patadbhiḥ patitairapi | ākāśaśiraso bhraṣṭaiḥ paṃkajairiva bhūścitā
Die Erde war bedeckt mit Elefanten, Pferden und Fußsoldaten—die einen stürzend, die anderen schon gestürzt—wie ein Boden, der mit Lotosblüten übersät ist, die vom „Haupt des Himmels“ herabgefallen sind.
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).