Skanda Purana — Prabhasa Khanda, Shloka 72
देवा ऊचुः । अग्निष्टोमादिकाः सर्वाः क्रिया नष्टाः सुरेश्वरि । मर्त्यलोके वयं तेन कर्मणातीव पीडिताः
devā ūcuḥ | agniṣṭomādikāḥ sarvāḥ kriyā naṣṭāḥ sureśvari | martyaloke vayaṃ tena karmaṇātīva pīḍitāḥ
Les dieux dirent : «Ô Déesse souveraine, tous les rites—à commencer par le sacrifice Agniṣṭoma—ont péri. Par cette perte de l’acte rituel, nous sommes cruellement affligés dans le monde des mortels.»
Devas
Tirtha: Arbuda-Śrī Mātā-kṣetra
Type: kshetra
Listener: Nṛpa-sattama (king)
Scene: Devas in a semi-circle before the Supreme Goddess, speaking with urgency; Agni (fire deity) appears dim, sacrificial ladles and vessels shown unused, emphasizing the loss of Agniṣṭoma rites.
FAQs
Vedic rites are portrayed as a pillar of dharma; their disappearance causes suffering even to divine beings, prompting appeal to the Goddess.
The broader setting is Arbuda, where the gods address the Goddess; the verse itself focuses on the crisis of rites.
Agniṣṭoma and related yajñas are named as foundational rituals whose restoration is implied.