Skanda Purana — Mahesvara Khanda, Shloka 104
स्वस्थीकर्तुं न शक्नोति कालप्राप्तं हि देहिनम् । नैषधं न तपो मंत्रा न मित्राणि न बांधवाः
svasthīkartuṃ na śaknoti kālaprāptaṃ hi dehinam | naiṣadhaṃ na tapo maṃtrā na mitrāṇi na bāṃdhavāḥ
ದೇಹಿಗೆ ನಿಯತಕಾಲ ಬಂದಾಗ ಅವನನ್ನು ಆರೋಗ್ಯವಂತನಾಗಿಸಲು ಸಾಧ್ಯವಿಲ್ಲ—ಔಷಧವೂ ಅಲ್ಲ, ತಪಸ್ಸೂ ಅಲ್ಲ, ಮಂತ್ರಗಳೂ ಅಲ್ಲ, ಮಿತ್ರರೂ ಅಲ್ಲ, ಬಂಧುಗಳೂ ಅಲ್ಲ.
Lomaharṣaṇa (Sūta) to the sages
Scene: A poignant scene: a dying person on a cot; medicine bowl, mantra-reciter, ascetic, friends and relatives gathered—yet a subtle Kāla presence indicates inevitability; the mood is compassionate and sober.
FAQs
Destined death cannot be averted by worldly supports; therefore one should prioritize Dharma and inner realization without delay.
No specific Tīrtha is named in this verse; it functions as a general Purāṇic teaching within the Kaumārikākhaṇḍa narrative.
No direct rite is prescribed here; the verse negates reliance on medicine, tapas, and mantras as means to stop destined death.