Skanda Purana — Brahma Khanda, Shloka 73
कथं पश्यामि मरणे यमदूतान्भयंकरान् । कथं पाशैर्बलात्कंठे बध्यमाना धृतिं लभे
kathaṃ paśyāmi maraṇe yamadūtānbhayaṃkarān | kathaṃ pāśairbalātkaṃṭhe badhyamānā dhṛtiṃ labhe
Comment, à l’heure de la mort, verrai-je les terribles messagers de Yama ? Et lorsque, de force, leurs lacets m’étrangleront le cou, comment trouverai-je la stabilité de l’esprit ?
A remorseful sinner/supplicant woman (unnamed in snippet), addressing a revered brāhmaṇa/guru
Scene: A trembling sinner at the threshold of death beholds fierce Yama-dūtas approaching with dark nooses; the soul recoils as the pāśa is raised toward the throat, while a faint inner light of remembrance struggles to steady the mind.
FAQs
Sin leads to fear and loss of inner steadiness at death; repentance urges one to seek refuge in dharma and a true guide.
No single tīrtha is named in this verse; the focus is on the karmic consequences at death.
None explicitly; the verse prepares the ground for prāyaścitta and śaraṇāgati taught in the surrounding passage.