Skanda Purana — Kashi Khanda, Shloka 33
तासु क्षीणासु संक्षीणाः सर्वे यज्ञभुजोऽभवन् । ततश्चिंतयता स्रष्ट्रा दृष्टो राजर्षिसत्तमः
tāsu kṣīṇāsu saṃkṣīṇāḥ sarve yajñabhujo'bhavan | tataściṃtayatā sraṣṭrā dṛṣṭo rājarṣisattamaḥ
When those rites had diminished, all the ‘eaters of sacrifice’—the gods who receive offerings—also became weakened. Then, as the Creator pondered, he beheld the foremost of royal sages.
Skanda
Scene: A two-tier vision: devas appear faint and diminished, their radiance reduced; Brahmā, contemplating, suddenly beholds a radiant royal sage (rājarṣi) as a hopeful counterforce.
FAQs
Purāṇic dharma presents mutual dependence: humans uphold yajña, devas are nourished by offerings, and cosmic welfare is maintained through this reciprocity.
The narrative is moving toward Avimukta/Kāśī; this verse signals a turning point where a great rājṛṣi becomes relevant.
None as a command; it states that yajña-sustained deities weaken when sacrificial rites decline.