Skanda Purana — Brahma Khanda, Shloka 93
पूर्वद्वारं निषेवन्ते देवदेवस्य शूलिनः । योन्यो मृत्युः स्वयं साक्षाच्चित्रगुप्तश्च पावकः
pūrvadvāraṃ niṣevante devadevasya śūlinaḥ | yonyo mṛtyuḥ svayaṃ sākṣāccitraguptaśca pāvakaḥ
ಪೂರ್ವದ್ವಾರದಲ್ಲಿ ದೇವದೇವನಾದ ಶೂಲಿನನ ಸೇವೆಯಲ್ಲಿ ಯಮ, ಸ್ವಯಂ ಮೃತ್ಯು, ಚಿತ್ರಗುಪ್ತ ಮತ್ತು ಪಾವಕ (ಅಗ್ನಿ) ಅಲ್ಲಿ ನಿಂತಿದ್ದಾರೆ।
Deductive: Sūta (Lomaharṣaṇa) narrating to sages
Type: ghat
Scene: At a grand eastern gateway glowing with dawn light, Yama and Mṛtyu stand solemnly, Citragupta holds a ledger, and Agni blazes as a purifying presence; all face inward toward Śūlin’s sanctum in reverent attendance.
FAQs
Dharma’s guardians—Yama, Mṛtyu, and the keeper of accounts—are themselves subordinate to Śiva’s higher sovereignty.
No named tīrtha appears; the verse maps the sacred orientation (east gate) of Śiva’s divine abode.
None explicitly; the verse conveys the ethic of accountability (Citragupta) and purity (Agni) in the shadow of Śiva’s rule.