Skanda Purana — Mahesvara Khanda, Shloka 22
गतिं कांचिन्न पश्यन्ति गावः शीतार्दिता इव । परस्परं व्यलीयंत गजेषु तुरगेषु च । रथेषु च भयत्रस्तास्तत्रतत्र निलिल्यिरे
gatiṃ kāṃcinna paśyanti gāvaḥ śītārditā iva | parasparaṃ vyalīyaṃta gajeṣu turageṣu ca | ratheṣu ca bhayatrastāstatratatra nililyire
ਉਹਨਾਂ ਨੂੰ ਕੋਈ ਰਾਹ ਨਜ਼ਰ ਨਾ ਆਇਆ—ਜਿਵੇਂ ਸਰਦੀ ਨਾਲ ਪੀੜਤ ਗਾਂਵਾਂ। ਉਹ ਇਕ-ਦੂਜੇ ਨਾਲ ਚਿਮੜ ਗਏ। ਡਰ ਨਾਲ ਕੰਬਦੇ ਹੋਏ ਕਿਤੇ ਹਾਥੀਆਂ, ਕਿਤੇ ਘੋੜਿਆਂ, ਕਿਤੇ ਰਥਾਂ ਨਾਲ ਲੱਗ ਕੇ, ਓਥੇ-ਓਥੇ ਲੁਕ ਗਏ।
Lomaharṣaṇa (Sūta), narrating to the sages (deduced from Māheśvarakhaṇḍa context)
Scene: Devas, unable to find escape, bunch together like cattle in biting cold; some cling to elephants’ flanks, others to horses’ reins and chariot rails, hiding behind wheels and bodies amid chaos.
FAQs
When adharma erupts as terror, beings lose clarity and refuge; Purāṇic narratives urge steadiness and righteous protection rather than panic.
No tīrtha is directly praised in this verse; it is a battlefield description within the Kaumārikākhaṇḍa narrative.
None—this verse is descriptive, not prescriptive.