Skanda Purana — Nagara Khanda, Shloka 83
पंचगर्तान्खनंत्येव मृत्युकाले नराधमाः । शिरसा हस्तपादाभ्यां मोहात्संनष्टचेतनाः
paṃcagartānkhanaṃtyeva mṛtyukāle narādhamāḥ | śirasā hastapādābhyāṃ mohātsaṃnaṣṭacetanāḥ
« À l’heure de la mort, les plus vils des hommes creusent vraiment cinq fosses—avec la tête, les mains et les pieds—égarés par l’illusion et privés de conscience. »
Unknown (contextual narrator in Nāgarakhaṇḍa; speaker not explicit in the snippet)
Scene: A stark deathbed scene outdoors: a deluded man clawing at earth, five small pits around him; relatives in distress; a distant silhouette of a river-tīrtha and temple spire as contrast—suggesting the alternative of sacred, aware passing.
FAQs
It warns that delusion and moral degradation can culminate in a confused, undignified end, implying the need for dharmic preparation and clarity of mind.
No particular tīrtha is specified; the verse functions as a Kali-yuga warning within a tīrtha-oriented discourse.
None explicitly; the focus is descriptive—portraying delusion at death rather than prescribing a rite.