Skanda Purana — Nagara Khanda, Shloka 35
षण्मासाभ्यंतरे मृत्युर्यद्यकस्माद्भवेन्मम । तत्ते पदं गतिर्मे स्यादहं ते भृत्यतां गतः
ṣaṇmāsābhyaṃtare mṛtyuryadyakasmādbhavenmama | tatte padaṃ gatirme syādahaṃ te bhṛtyatāṃ gataḥ
«Si, dans l’espace de six mois, la mort venait à me surprendre soudainement, que ce Pied—ton Empreinte sacrée—soit mon refuge et ma voie ; je suis entré dans ton service, comme ton serviteur.»
Sūta (quoting the mantra to be recited by the devotee)
Type: kshetra
Scene: A pilgrim with folded hands stands before a sanctified footprint-mark (pāda-cihna) of Hari on a stone pedestal near water; the mood is urgent yet serene, as if making a last vow before death.
FAQs
Śaraṇāgati: taking refuge in the Lord’s feet and embracing humble service is portrayed as the sure spiritual path even in the face of death.
Viṣṇupada—the sacred footprint/feet of Viṣṇu—treated as a saving refuge when remembered and worshipped.
Recitation of a surrender-mantra during Viṣṇupada worship, explicitly framing refuge even if death comes soon.