Skanda Purana — Mahesvara Khanda, Shloka 46
इति शंभोर्वचः श्रुत्वा मया वृतिमिदं तदा । कल्पांते रोमपातोऽस्तु मरणं सर्वसंक्षये
iti śaṃbhorvacaḥ śrutvā mayā vṛtimidaṃ tadā | kalpāṃte romapāto'stu maraṇaṃ sarvasaṃkṣaye
Ayant entendu les paroles de Śambhu, je fis alors cette demande : «Que ma mort ne survienne qu’à la fin du kalpa, lorsque se produira la dissolution de toutes choses ; jusque-là, qu’il n’y ait que la chute des cheveux».
Narrator/devotee (the petitioner speaking in first person)
Listener: A king (implied by later ‘mahārāja’) and/or the main interlocutor of the section
Scene: A tapasvin/devotee stands with folded hands before Śiva (Śambhu), requesting death only at kalpānta; the atmosphere is cosmic—subtle संकेत of pralaya (darkened sky, distant oceanic dissolution) while the devotee remains serene.
FAQs
The devotee refines desire into a dharmic boon—accepting mortality, yet seeking life devoted to sacred purpose until cosmic dissolution.
No specific tīrtha is named in this verse; the emphasis is on Śiva’s boon and cosmic time.
No explicit ritual is prescribed; it presents an ideal of boon-selection grounded in acceptance of pralaya and dharma.