Skanda Purana — Nagara Khanda, Shloka 37
यथैते दंशमशका मानुषाणां च कीटकाः । जायंते च म्रियंते च गण्यंते नैव कुत्रचित् । इन्द्रादीनां तथा मर्त्याः संभाव्या जगतीतले
yathaite daṃśamaśakā mānuṣāṇāṃ ca kīṭakāḥ | jāyaṃte ca mriyaṃte ca gaṇyaṃte naiva kutracit | indrādīnāṃ tathā martyāḥ saṃbhāvyā jagatītale
Sebagaimana agas, nyamuk dan serangga lain dalam kalangan manusia lahir dan mati, namun tidak pernah benar-benar terhitung di mana-mana—demikian juga di permukaan bumi ini, para insan fana jika dibandingkan dengan Indra dan seumpamanya hendaklah dianggap tidak terbilang dan kecil nilainya.
Sūta
Listener: Sages in the assembly (implied)
Scene: A layered scale image: tiny insects near human feet; above, humans; above them, a distant, radiant Indra in Amarāvatī—conveying relative insignificance and the vast census of births and deaths.
FAQs
From a cosmic viewpoint, births and deaths are countless; humility and earnest pursuit of dharma and mokṣa are therefore essential.
No tīrtha is named in this verse; it supports the broader Māhātmya tone by placing human life in a vast scale.
None explicitly.