Skanda Purana — Kashi Khanda, Shloka 29
यः पश्येदात्मनश्छायां दक्षिणाशा समाश्रिताम् । दिनानि पंच जीवित्वा पंचत्वमुपयाति सः
yaḥ paśyedātmanaśchāyāṃ dakṣiṇāśā samāśritām | dināni paṃca jīvitvā paṃcatvamupayāti saḥ
தன் நிழல் தென் திசையை நோக்கி சாய்ந்திருப்பதை யார் காண்கிறாரோ, அவர் ஐந்து நாட்கள் மட்டுமே வாழ்ந்து பஞ்சத்துவம் (மரணம்) அடைகிறார்।
Skanda
Tirtha: Kāśī-kṣetra
Type: kshetra
Scene: At a sunlit ghat, a man looks down and sees his shadow unnaturally slanting toward the south; the southern horizon is tinted dark, hinting at Yama’s domain, while a nearby Śiva shrine offers a contrasting lamp-lit refuge—time compresses into five days.
FAQs
Death can be near; the wise intensify remembrance of God and settle duties without delay.
The verse belongs to the Kāśī-khaṇḍa setting, where teachings encourage readiness within Kāśī’s sacred dharma-field.
No explicit rite is mentioned; it gives a highly time-specific omen.