Skanda Purana — Nagara Khanda, Shloka 31
ततस्तौ दम्पती हृष्टौ यावद्वह्निसमीपगौ । संजातौ मरणार्थाय स च ताभ्यां समुद्भवः
tatastau dampatī hṛṣṭau yāvadvahnisamīpagau | saṃjātau maraṇārthāya sa ca tābhyāṃ samudbhavaḥ
Kemudian pasangan suami-istri itu, dengan hati terangkat, mendekati sisi api, siap menyongsong kematian; dan putra yang lahir dari mereka pun berada di sana bersama mereka.
Sūta (narration)
Scene: Husband and wife, strangely radiant with resolve, stand at the edge of a roaring fire; their son stands close, torn between duty and grief; the moment freezes before the irreversible step.
FAQs
Despair can masquerade as ‘religious resolve’; Purāṇic dharma redirects such impulses toward legitimate purification and restraint.
The narrative is a lead-in to the tīrtha of Viṣṇupadī Gaṅgā in this kṣetra, presented as the true purifier.
No new rite is prescribed here; it describes the approach to fire that will soon be countered by dharmic instruction.