Skanda Purana — Prabhasa Khanda, Shloka 76

Devanagari script

निःस्वाध्यायवषट्काराः प्रजास्तस्मिन्प्रशासति । डिंडिमं घोषयामास स राजा विषये स्वके

Transliteration

niḥsvādhyāyavaṣaṭkārāḥ prajāstasminpraśāsati | ḍiṃḍimaṃ ghoṣayāmāsa sa rājā viṣaye svake

Translation

Während er herrschte, blieb das Volk ohne Veda-Studium und ohne den «vaṣaṭ»-Ruf des Opfers. Jener König ließ dies in seinem Reich durch Trommelschlag ausrufen.

Word by Word

• निः-स्वाध्याय-वषट्काराः: devoid of Vedic study and vaṣaṭ-calls
• निः-स्वाध्याय-वषट्काराः: Visheshana (Adjective/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: निः (उपसर्ग/अव्यय) + स्वाध्याय (प्रातिपदिक) + वषट्कार (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), बहुवचन; बहुव्रीहि (येषां स्वाध्यायवषट्कारौ न स्तः)

• प्रजाः: the people
• प्रजाः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: प्रजा (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), बहुवचन

• तस्मिन्: when/in him
• तस्मिन्: Adhikarana (Locative/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: तद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग/नपुंसकलिङ्ग, सप्तमी (7th/Locative), एकवचन; सर्वनाम

• प्रशासति: (he) rules/governs
• प्रशासति: Kriya (Verb/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: प्र + √शास् (धातु)
• Form: लट् (Present), परस्मैपद, प्रथमपुरुष (3rd person), एकवचन

• डिण्डिमम्: a drum
• डिण्डिमम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: डिण्डिम (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd/Accusative), एकवचन

• घोषयामास: caused to be proclaimed/announced
• घोषयामास: Kriya (Verb/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: √घुष्/√घोष् (धातु) (णिच् causative)
• Form: लिट् (Perfect), परस्मैपद, प्रथमपुरुष (3rd person), एकवचन; णिजन्त (causative)

• सः: he
• सः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: तद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), एकवचन; सर्वनाम

• राजा: the king
• राजा: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: राजन् (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), एकवचन

• विषये: in the realm/territory
• विषये: Adhikarana (Locative/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: विषय (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, सप्तमी (7th/Locative), एकवचन

• स्वके: his own
• स्वके: Visheshana (Adjective/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: स्वक (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, सप्तमी (7th/Locative), एकवचन; विशेषण

Speaker

Purāṇic narrator (contextual; within Prabhāsakṣetra Māhātmya narration)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Prabhāsa

Type: kshetra

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A deserted yajña-śālā with cold firepits; no priests chanting. Instead, a royal drum (ḍiṇḍima) is beaten in streets as fearful citizens watch.

Characters & Entities

• Vena

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

A king’s policies can either nourish svādhyāya and yajña or extinguish them—dharma is sustained through both learning and rite.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

Prabhāsakṣetra is the overarching sacred geography, though this verse highlights the societal consequences of adharma.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

Yajña practice is implied via “vaṣaṭkāra”; the verse laments its suppression rather than prescribing it.