Skanda Purana — Prabhasa Khanda, Shloka 5

Devanagari script

निःस्वाध्यायवषट्कारं तदाऽसीद्धरणीतलम् । नष्टयज्ञोत्सवं सर्वं रुरोर्भयनिपीडितम्

Transliteration

niḥsvādhyāyavaṣaṭkāraṃ tadā'sīddharaṇītalam | naṣṭayajñotsavaṃ sarvaṃ rurorbhayanipīḍitam

Translation

Da verstummte das Antlitz der Erde—ohne vedische Rezitation und ohne den Ruf „vaṣaṭ“. Alle Opferfeste wurden zunichte, denn die ganze Welt wurde von der Furcht vor Ruru niedergepresst.

Word by Word

• निःस्वाध्यायवषट्कारम्: without Vedic study and vaṣaṭ exclamations
• निःस्वाध्यायवषट्कारम्: Karma (Predicate complement/कर्मसमानाधिकरण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: निःस्वाध्यायवषट्कार = निः + स्वाध्याय + वषट्कार (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया, एकवचन; विशेषण (devoid of svādhyāya and vaṣaṭ-calls)

• तदा: then
• तदा: Adhikarana (Time/कालाधिकरण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: तदा (अव्यय)
• Form: कालवाचक-अव्यय (temporal adverb: 'then')

• आसीत्: was
• आसीत्: Kriya (Copula/अस्तिक्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: √अस् (धातु)
• Form: लङ् (Imperfect/लङ्), प्रथमपुरुष, एकवचन; परस्मैपद; 'was'

• धरणीतलम्: the earth's surface
• धरणीतलम्: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: धरणीतल = धरणी + तल (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन (nominative singular)

• नष्टयज्ञोत्सवम्: with sacrificial festivities destroyed
• नष्टयज्ञोत्सवम्: Karma (Predicate complement/कर्मसमानाधिकरण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: नष्टयज्ञोत्सव = नष्ट + यज्ञोत्सव (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया, एकवचन; विशेषण (whose yajña-festivities were destroyed)

• सर्वम्: entire, all
• सर्वम्: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: सर्व (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया, एकवचन; here agreeing with धरणीतलम् as predicate/description

• रुरोः: of Ruru
• रुरोः: Sambandha (Genitive relation/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: रुरु (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, षष्ठी, एकवचन (genitive singular: 'of Ruru')

• भयनिपीडितम्: oppressed by fear (of Ruru)
• भयनिपीडितम्: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: भयनिपीडित = भय + नि + √पीड् (धातु) → निपीडित (कृदन्त, क्त)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया, एकवचन; कृदन्त (past passive participle) 'oppressed by fear' (fear caused by Ruru)

Speaker

Sūta (Lomaharṣaṇa) narrating to the sages (deduced from Purāṇic narration style in Māhātmya sections)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Prabhāsa-kṣetra

Type: kshetra

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: Devī

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A vast earth-scape under a pall of fear: extinguished sacred fires, empty yajña-vedis, silent brāhmaṇas with closed manuscripts; the word 'vaṣaṭ' absent, replaced by oppressive stillness as Ruru’s terror looms.

Characters & Entities

• Ruru

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

When adharma spreads, society’s dharmic pillars—svādhyāya and yajña—collapse; restoration requires divine-aligned effort to reestablish sacred order.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

Prabhāsa-kṣetra (Prabhāsakṣetra), presented as the sacred setting where cosmic disorder is confronted and dharma is restored.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

No direct prescription; it highlights the absence of svādhyāya and yajña (including vaṣaṭ), implying their revival as the remedy.