Skanda Purana — Prabhasa Khanda, Shloka 13

Devanagari script

यत्र क्वचिद्भवेद्यज्ञस्तत्र गत्वा निशागमे । यज्ञदानसमायुक्तानृत्विजो भक्षयंति च

Transliteration

yatra kvacidbhavedyajñastatra gatvā niśāgame | yajñadānasamāyuktānṛtvijo bhakṣayaṃti ca

Translation

Partout où se célébrait un yajña, ils s’y rendaient à la tombée de la nuit ; et ils dévoraient les ṛtvij, prêtres officiants, voués au rite et au don sacré.

Word by Word

• यत्र: where
• यत्र: Adhikarana (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: यत्र (अव्यय)
• Form: देशवाचक-अव्यय (relative adverb ‘where’)

• क्वचित्: somewhere/at any place
• क्वचित्: Adhikarana (Indefinite locus/अधिकरण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: क्वचित् (अव्यय)
• Form: अनिश्चितदेश/कालवाचक-अव्यय (indefinite adverb: ‘somewhere/at some time’)

• भवेत्: may occur
• भवेत्: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: भू (धातु)
• Form: विधिलिङ् (Optative), प्रथमपुरुष, एकवचन — may be/should occur

• यज्ञः: a sacrifice
• यज्ञः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: यज्ञ (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन — Nominative singular

• तत्र: there
• तत्र: Adhikarana (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: तत्र (अव्यय)
• Form: देशवाचक-अव्यय (correlative adverb ‘there’)

• गत्वा: having gone
• गत्वा: Kriya (Prior action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: गम् (धातु) + त्वा (क्त्वा-प्रत्यय)
• Form: क्त्वान्त-अव्ययकृदन्त (absolutive/gerund) — having gone

• निशागमे: at the coming of night
• निशागमे: Adhikarana (Time/कालाधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: निशा-आगम (प्रातिपदिक; निशा + आगम)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, सप्तमी-विभक्ति (अधिकरण), एकवचन — Locative singular; षष्ठी-तत्पुरुष (निशायाः आगमः)

• यज्ञदानसमायुक्तान्: endowed with sacrifice and gifts
• यज्ञदानसमायुक्तान्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: यज्ञ-दान-समायुक्त (प्रातिपदिक; यज्ञ + दान + समायुक्त)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति (कर्म), बहुवचन — Accusative plural; बहुपद-तत्पुरुष (यज्ञेन दानेन च समायुक्ताः) विशेषण (ऋत्विजः)

• ऋत्विजः: priests
• ऋत्विजः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: ऋत्विज् (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, बहुवचन — Nominative plural

• भक्षयन्ति: devour
• भक्षयन्ति: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: भक्ष् (धातु)
• Form: लट् (Present), प्रथमपुरुष, बहुवचन — they eat/devour

• च: and
• च: Sambandha (Conjunction/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: च (अव्यय)
• Form: समुच्चयबोधक-निपात (conjunction)

Speaker

Narrator (contextual Purāṇic narration within Prabhāsakṣetramāhātmya)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Yajña-bhūmi (as moving tīrtha) within Prabhāsa-kṣetra narrative

Type: kshetra

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A sacrificial enclosure at dusk; priests seated with ladles and soma vessels; daityas emerge from darkness as the sun sets; offerings and dāna items scattered, the altar threatened.

Characters & Entities

• Ṛtvij
• Yajña
• Dāna

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Even established rites like yajña and dāna can be obstructed in times of adharma, urging seekers to protect and restore dharma.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

The narrative belongs to the Prabhāsakṣetra Māhātmya, situating the episode within the sacred landscape of Prabhāsa.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

Yajña and dāna are referenced as ongoing religious acts, highlighting their centrality even amid crisis.