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
انہیں کوئی راہِ نجات نظر نہ آئی—جیسے سردی سے ستائے ہوئے مویشی۔ وہ ایک دوسرے سے لپٹ گئے۔ خوف زدہ ہو کر کبھی ہاتھیوں، کبھی گھوڑوں اور کبھی رتھوں سے چمٹ گئے اور جگہ جگہ چھپتے پھرے۔
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.