Skanda Purana — Mahesvara Khanda, Shloka 159
ऐकपद्येन तान्येव कलां नार्हंति षोडशीम् । संग्रामे पतितानां च सर्वशास्त्रेष्वयं विधिः
aikapadyena tānyeva kalāṃ nārhaṃti ṣoḍaśīm | saṃgrāme patitānāṃ ca sarvaśāstreṣvayaṃ vidhiḥ
Même à la plus infime mesure —comme un « quart de pas »— ces mérites n’égalent pas le seizième de celui de ceux qui tombent au combat. Cette règle, concernant les tués à la guerre, est attestée dans tous les śāstra.
Lomaharṣaṇa (Sūta) to the sages (deduced)
Scene: A symbolic balance-scale: on one side, icons of pilgrimage, Veda, pūjā, yajña; on the other, a single fallen hero with a radiant aura outweighing them all; above, a scroll reading ‘sarvaśāstreṣu’ held by a sage.
FAQs
It ranks merits by asserting that falling in dharmic battle yields an exceptionally high fruit, surpassing many standard religious merits.
No single site is named; pilgrimage is referenced generally, within the Kedāra framework of Māheśvarakhaṇḍa.
No new ritual is prescribed; it states a comparative doctrine of spiritual results (phala) recognized across śāstras.