Skanda Purana — Nagara Khanda, Shloka 6
यावद्गुर्वीं चितां कृत्वा तमन्वेष्टुं समुद्यताः । तावन्नष्टं शवं तच्च ज्ञायते नैव कुत्रचित्
yāvadgurvīṃ citāṃ kṛtvā tamanveṣṭuṃ samudyatāḥ | tāvannaṣṭaṃ śavaṃ tacca jñāyate naiva kutracit
جوں ہی انہوں نے بھاری اور مضبوط چتا بنا کر اسے ڈھونڈنے کے لیے قدم بڑھایا، تو لاش غائب ہو چکی تھی؛ اور وہ کہیں بھی معلوم نہ ہو سکی۔
Sūta (contextual continuation)
Type: kshetra
Scene: A completed, heavy funeral pyre stands ready; brāhmaṇas turn back to fetch the body—only to find the spot empty. Their faces show shock and reverence; the liṅga remains steady in the background.
FAQs
The Māhātmya signals extraordinary sanctity: the devotee’s end is marked by a miracle that transcends ordinary death-ritual expectations.
The episode belongs to the Hāṭakeśvara-kṣetra Māhātmya cycle in Nāgara-khaṇḍa.
Construction of a funeral pyre (citā) for cremation is described, though the rite is interrupted by the miraculous disappearance.