Skanda Purana — Prabhasa Khanda, Shloka 91

Devanagari script

निर्भयः शृणु दक्ष त्वं यज्ञभंगो भवि ष्यति । अपूज्यपूजनाद्दक्ष पूज्यस्य च विवर्जनात्

Transliteration

nirbhayaḥ śṛṇu dakṣa tvaṃ yajñabhaṃgo bhavi ṣyati | apūjyapūjanāddakṣa pūjyasya ca vivarjanāt

Translation

Höre, Dakṣa, ohne Furcht: Das Opfer wird zerschlagen werden—weil du Unwürdige verehrst und Den wahrhaft Verehrungswürdigen vernachlässigst.

Word by Word

• निर्भयः: O fearless one
• निर्भयः: Sambodhana (Address/सम्बोधन)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: निर्भय (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, सम्बोधन/प्रथमा-एकवचन; सम्बोधनार्थे (addressing Dakṣa)

• शृणु: listen
• शृणु: Kriya (Command/आज्ञा)
• Type: Verb
• Root: √श्रु (धातु)
• Form: लोट्-लकार (आज्ञार्थ/Imperative), मध्यमपुरुष, एकवचन, परस्मैपद

• दक्ष: O Dakṣa
• दक्ष: Sambodhana (Address/सम्बोधन)
• Type: Noun
• Root: दक्ष (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, सम्बोधन-विभक्ति, एकवचन

• त्वं: you
• त्वं: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: युष्मद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: उत्तम-पुरुष-सर्वनाम, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन

• यज्ञ-भङ्गः: disruption of the sacrifice
• यज्ञ-भङ्गः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: यज्ञ (प्रातिपदिक) + भङ्ग (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन; षष्ठी-तत्पुरुषः (यज्ञस्य भङ्गः)

• भविष्यति: will occur
• भविष्यति: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: √भू (धातु)
• Form: लृट्-लकार (भविष्यत्/Future), प्रथमपुरुष, एकवचन, परस्मैपद

• अपूज्य-पूजनात्: from worship of the unworthy
• अपूज्य-पूजनात्: Hetu/Apadana (Cause/हेतु)
• Type: Noun
• Root: अपूज्य (प्रातिपदिक; नञ् + पूज्य (कृदन्त)) + पूजन (प्रातिपदिक; √पूज् + ल्युट्)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, पञ्चमी-विभक्ति (हेतु/अपादान), एकवचन; षष्ठी-तत्पुरुषः (अपूज्यस्य पूजनात्)

• दक्ष: O Dakṣa
• दक्ष: Sambodhana (Address/सम्बोधन)
• Type: Noun
• Root: दक्ष (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, सम्बोधन-विभक्ति, एकवचन

• पूज्यस्य: of the worthy (one)
• पूज्यस्य: Shashthi-sambandha (Genitive relation/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: पूज्य (प्रातिपदिक; √पूज् (धातु) + यत्)
• Form: पुं/नपुंसक, षष्ठी-विभक्ति (सम्बन्ध), एकवचन

• च: and
• च: Sambandha (Connector/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: च (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; समुच्चय (conjunction)

• विवर्जनात्: from neglect/avoidance
• विवर्जनात्: Hetu/Apadana (Cause/हेतु)
• Type: Noun
• Root: विवर्जन (प्रातिपदिक; वि-√वृज्/√वर्ज् (धातु) + ल्युट्)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, पञ्चमी-विभक्ति (हेतु), एकवचन

Speaker

Dadhīca Ṛṣi

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Vastrāpatha-kṣetra

Type: kshetra

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: Dakṣa (within the episode); broader audience of pilgrims/listeners

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A stern brahmin-sage addresses Dakṣa at a grand yajña pavilion, pointing toward the absent seat of Īśvara; attendants honor lesser beings while the central divine place remains empty, foreshadowing the sacrifice’s ruin.

Characters & Entities

• Dadhīca
• Dakṣa
• Yajña
• The worship-worthy Lord (Īśvara/Śiva implied)

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Dharma requires discernment in worship: honoring the unworthy and neglecting the supreme leads to spiritual and ritual ruin.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

The teaching is delivered within the Vastrāpathakṣetra Māhātmya of Prabhāsa, reinforcing tīrtha-linked dharma.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

An implicit prescription: worship the truly worship-worthy (pūjya) and avoid honoring the unworthy in yajña contexts.