Skanda Purana — Brahma Khanda, Shloka 18
शिवदूता ऊचुः । एषाग्रे दृश्यते वृद्धा चांडाली मरणोन्मुखी । एतामानेतुमायाताः संदिष्टा प्रभुणा वयम्
śivadūtā ūcuḥ | eṣāgre dṛśyate vṛddhā cāṃḍālī maraṇonmukhī | etāmānetumāyātāḥ saṃdiṣṭā prabhuṇā vayam
Các sứ giả của Śiva nói: “Ngay phía trước kia hiện thấy một bà lão thuộc hạng Caṇḍāla, đang hướng về cái chết. Theo lệnh của Chúa tể chúng ta, chúng tôi đến để đưa bà ấy đi.”
Śivadūtas
Listener: The questioning narrator/authority figure
Scene: Śiva-messengers speak in unison, pointing to an aged outcaste woman lying or seated, frail and near death; their faces are firm yet compassionate, indicating they act under Śiva’s direct command; the woman is illuminated by a gentle sacred glow despite her social marginalization.
FAQs
Śiva’s grace can uplift even the socially marginalized; divine deliverance is not limited by birth-status.
No particular site is named in this verse; the emphasis is on Śiva’s command and salvific action.
None; the verse narrates a divine mandate to escort the dying.