Skanda Purana — Nagara Khanda, Shloka 3
पलायनपरा ये च पृष्ठदेशे हता मृताः
palāyanaparā ye ca pṛṣṭhadeśe hatā mṛtāḥ
Et ceux qui ne songeaient qu’à fuir, frappés par derrière, moururent avec des blessures au dos…
Viṣṇu (contextual continuation)
Tirtha: Gayā (contextual, by continuity)
Type: kshetra
Scene: A brief, poignant battlefield vignette: warriors in retreat, one struck from behind, evoking fear and tragedy rather than glory; the scene serves as a moral-emotional counterpoint to heroic death.
FAQs
Purāṇic dharma distinguishes deaths by intention and circumstance; fleeing in battle is morally and ritually evaluated differently.
No site is named in this half-verse; the surrounding discourse includes Gayā and the Śrīhāṭakeśvara-kṣetra Māhātmya frame.
No explicit prescription appears in this fragment; it introduces a category relevant to later śrāddha rules.