Skanda Purana — Nagara Khanda, Shloka 9
अथ तैर्निहतः संख्ये सभृत्यबलवाहनः । हरलब्धवरै रौद्रैः काशिराजः प्रतापवान्
atha tairnihataḥ saṃkhye sabhṛtyabalavāhanaḥ | haralabdhavarai raudraiḥ kāśirājaḥ pratāpavān
Alors, dans la bataille, le vaillant roi de Kāśī — avec ses serviteurs, ses troupes et ses montures — fut tué par ces farouches guerriers qui avaient reçu des grâces de Hara (Śiva).
Sūta
Scene: The Kāśirāja falls in combat with his retinue—broken chariot, scattered standards—while fierce boon-endowed foes press forward; the sky feels heavy, as if Hara’s power shadows the scene.
FAQs
Power gained through boons can still serve destiny’s unfolding; tragedy in Purāṇic narrative often redirects life toward higher refuge in the Divine.
The fall of the Kāśī king becomes the narrative cause for the widows’ journey toward the sacred Hāṭakeśvara-kṣetra highlighted in this chapter.
None explicitly; the verse emphasizes the role of Śiva-bestowed boons in the conflict.