Skanda Purana — Mahesvara Khanda, Shloka 19
तेन किं नाम संसाध्यं भूमिस्तं ग्रसते नरम्
tena kiṃ nāma saṃsādhyaṃ bhūmistaṃ grasate naram
Qu’accomplit-on donc, en vérité, par une telle manière de vivre ? À la fin, la terre engloutit cet homme.
Narrative voice (Sūta/Lomaharṣaṇa tradition within Māheśvarakhaṇḍa)
Listener: brāhmaṇas / Arjuna
Scene: A stark moral tableau: a man absorbed in futile pursuits stands on crumbling ground; the earth opens as a symbolic grave. Above, a faint path of light suggests dharma/tapas as the only enduring accomplishment.
FAQs
Worldly calculations are futile before death; one should pursue dharma and the merit-giving path.
Implicitly tied to the Stambhatīrtha-centered narrative of this adhyāya.
None explicitly; the verse motivates renunciation of fear-driven living in favor of dharmic action.