Skanda Purana — Kashi Khanda, Shloka 32
अन्येद्युरप्यथायातः श्येनो पश्यत्स दंपती । अपरिच्छिन्नया दृष्ट्या यथा मृत्युर्गतायुषम्
anyedyurapyathāyātaḥ śyeno paśyatsa daṃpatī | aparicchinnayā dṛṣṭyā yathā mṛtyurgatāyuṣam
அடுத்த நாளும் அந்த கழுகு வந்து அந்த தம்பதியரை நோக்கிக் கவனித்தது; அதன் இமைக்காத பார்வை, ஆயுள் முடிந்தவன்மேல் மரணம் நோக்குவது போல இருந்தது.
Narrator (within Kāśīkhaṇḍa frame)
Scene: A hawk returns the next day, perched or hovering, staring unblinkingly at the pigeon-couple; the gaze is likened to Death fixed upon one whose lifespan is exhausted—ominous stillness around a palace-like abode.
FAQs
It underscores mortality and inevitability—threats can return persistently, reminding beings to seek higher refuge and right conduct.
The broader narrative belongs to Kāśī-khaṇḍa (Vārāṇasī’s sacred domain), though this verse is descriptive rather than explicitly tīrtha-focused.
None.