Skanda Purana — Nagara Khanda, Shloka 12
अग्निष्टोमादिका सर्वाः समुच्छेदं गताः क्रियाः । न कश्चिद्यजते मर्त्यो न व्रतं कुरुते नरः
agniṣṭomādikā sarvāḥ samucchedaṃ gatāḥ kriyāḥ | na kaścidyajate martyo na vrataṃ kurute naraḥ
وانحطّت جميعُ الشعائر كالأغنيشْطوما وغيرها حتى اندثرت؛ فلا أحدَ من الفانين يقيم يَجْنَةً، ولا رجلٌ يلتزم نذرًا أو وِرْتًا.
Narrator (contextual Purāṇic voice within Nāgarakhaṇḍa; likely Sūta/Lomaharṣaṇa addressing sages)
Scene: A deserted yajña-śālā with cold altars and extinguished fires; priests absent; in contrast, a nearby tīrtha remains vibrant, hinting at the shift from śrauta ritual to tīrtha practice.
FAQs
When dharma weakens, sacrifices and vows disappear—setting the stage for tīrtha and devotion to restore spiritual order.
The broader passage concerns the Hāṭakeśvara tīrtha/kṣetra described in this Tīrthamāhātmya.
The verse notes the absence of yajña (e.g., Agniṣṭoma) and vrata, implying their proper performance as ideal dharma.