Skanda Purana — Brahma Khanda, Shloka 11

Devanagari script

न वेदाध्ययनं लोके भवेत्तस्य भयेन च । कुर्वते वाडवा देवा न च संध्याद्युपासनम्

Transliteration

na vedādhyayanaṃ loke bhavettasya bhayena ca | kurvate vāḍavā devā na ca saṃdhyādyupāsanam

Translation

ومن شدة الخوف منه لم يعد تلاوةُ الفيدا ودراستُها سائدةً في العالم؛ وحتى الآلهة، وقد أُذِلّوا إلى حالٍ بائس، لم يعودوا يؤدّون العبادة التي تبتدئ بطقوس الساندْهْيا.

Word by Word

• na: not
• na: Pratiṣedha (Negation)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: na (अव्यय)
• Form: निषेध-अव्यय (negation particle)

• veda-adhyayanam: study of the Veda
• veda-adhyayanam: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: veda (प्रातिपदिक) + adhyayana (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति (Nominative/1st), एकवचन

• loke: in the world
• loke: Adhikaraṇa (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: loka (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, सप्तमी-विभक्ति (Locative/7th), एकवचन

• bhavet: would be/should occur
• bhavet: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: bhū (धातु)
• Form: विधिलिङ्-लकार (Optative), प्रथम-पुरुष (3rd person), एकवचन, परस्मैपद

• tasya: of him
• tasya: Sambandha (Relation/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: tad (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग/नपुंसकलिङ्ग, षष्ठी-विभक्ति (Genitive/6th), एकवचन

• bhayena: because of fear
• bhayena: Hetu (Cause/हेतु)
• Type: Noun
• Root: bhaya (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, तृतीया-विभक्ति (Instrumental/3rd), एकवचन

• ca: and
• ca: Samuccaya (Connector)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: ca (अव्यय)
• Form: समुच्चय-अव्यय (conjunction)

• kurvate: do/perform
• kurvate: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: kṛ (धातु)
• Form: लट्-लकार (Present), प्रथम-पुरुष (3rd person), बहुवचन, आत्मनेपद

• vāḍavāḥ: (certain) beings called Vāḍavas
• vāḍavāḥ: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: vāḍava (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, बहुवचन

• devāḥ: gods
• devāḥ: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: deva (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, बहुवचन

• na: not
• na: Pratiṣedha (Negation)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: na (अव्यय)
• Form: निषेध-अव्यय (negation particle)

• ca: and
• ca: Samuccaya (Connector)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: ca (अव्यय)
• Form: समुच्चय-अव्यय (conjunction)

• saṃdhyā-ādi-upāsanam: worship such as the sandhyā rites
• saṃdhyā-ādi-upāsanam: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: saṃdhyā (प्रातिपदिक) + ādi (अव्यय/प्रातिपदिक) + upāsana (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति (Accusative/2nd), एकवचन; 'संध्यादीनाम् उपासनम्'

Speaker

Sūta (Lomaharṣaṇa) (deduced from Brāhma Khaṇḍa narrative style)

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: Yudhiṣṭhira

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A somber tableau: students’ recitation halls silent, palm-leaf texts closed; devas shown diminished (vādava—wretched), heads bowed, sandhyā vessels untouched; a looming asura-shadow symbolizes fear suppressing dharma.

Characters & Entities

• Veda
• Devāḥ
• Sandhyā

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

When fear and unrighteous influence dominate, even foundational dharma—Vedic study and daily Sandhyā worship—falls away; the verse warns to protect and uphold nitya-karma.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

This verse is primarily a dharma-centered warning within the Dharmāraṇya context; it does not explicitly name a particular tīrtha in the given line.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

It references nitya-karma: vedādhyayana (Vedic study/recitation) and saṃdhyā-ādi-upāsanā (daily worship beginning with Sandhyā rites, i.e., Sandhyā-vandana and associated observances).