Skanda Purana — Prabhasa Khanda, Shloka 27
अथागत्य द्रुतं दूराद्बालेनानेन वंदिताः । दीर्घायुर्भव संदिष्टस्ततश्चायमनेकधा । पंचमे दिवसेऽस्यापि मृत्युर्देव भविष्यति
athāgatya drutaṃ dūrādbālenānena vaṃditāḥ | dīrghāyurbhava saṃdiṣṭastataścāyamanekadhā | paṃcame divase'syāpi mṛtyurdeva bhaviṣyati
“Kemudian, datang dengan segera dari jauh, kami disembah hormat oleh budak ini. Kami berpesan kepadanya, ‘Jadilah panjang umur’; dan dia mengulanginya dengan pelbagai cara. Namun, wahai Tuhan, baginya juga maut akan datang pada hari kelima.”
Ṛṣis (Saptarṣis) speaking to Brahmā
Tirtha: Arbuda-kṣetra (episode within)
Type: kshetra
Listener: Brahmā
Scene: A young boy runs from afar and bows to the sages; the sages raise hands in blessing, yet their faces show concern as they foresee death on the fifth day.
FAQs
Even auspicious blessings require alignment with cosmic order; sages appeal to Brahmā to reconcile dharma, truth, and destiny.
The narrative belongs to Arbuda-khaṇḍa (Mount Arbuda’s tīrtha tradition), though this verse focuses on the child’s fate.
No formal ritual is prescribed; the key utterance is the blessing-mantra-like phrase “dīrghāyur bhava.”