Skanda Purana — Mahesvara Khanda, Shloka 88
न च्छंदांसि वृजिनात्तारयंति मायाविनं माययाऽवर्तमानम् । नीडं शकुंता इव जातपक्षाश्छंदास्येनं प्रजहत्यंतकाले
na cchaṃdāṃsi vṛjināttārayaṃti māyāvinaṃ māyayā'vartamānam | nīḍaṃ śakuṃtā iva jātapakṣāśchaṃdāsyenaṃ prajahatyaṃtakāle
Les mètres védiques ne peuvent faire traverser le péché à l’homme trompeur qui vit de tromperie. Comme les oiseaux, une fois leurs ailes venues, quittent le nid, ainsi les Veda l’abandonnent à l’heure de la mort.
Lomaharṣaṇa (Sūta) to the sages (deduced from context)
Scene: A learned but deceitful man stands at the threshold of death; luminous Vedic meters personified as birds lift away from him, abandoning a nest, while a dark veil of māyā clings to his body.
FAQs
Scripture cannot protect a hypocrite; without truthful living, even Vedic learning deserts one at death.
No tīrtha is praised; the verse is a universal admonition about integrity.
None; it rejects reliance on textual prestige and urges honest conduct.