Skanda Purana — Kashi Khanda, Shloka 32
चिंतामवाप महती जगद्योनिः प्रजाक्षयात् । प्रजासु क्षीयमाणासु क्षीणा यज्ञादिकाः क्रियाः
ciṃtāmavāpa mahatī jagadyoniḥ prajākṣayāt | prajāsu kṣīyamāṇāsu kṣīṇā yajñādikāḥ kriyāḥ
प्रजा का क्षय होने से जगद्योनि (ब्रह्मा) को महान चिंता हुई। प्रजा के क्षीण होने पर यज्ञादि क्रियाएँ भी क्षीण हो गईं।
Skanda
Scene: Brahmā, ‘jagad-yoni’, sits in contemplation with furrowed concern; below, abandoned yajña-vedis, cold ash, and dwindling households symbolize prajā-kṣaya and kriyā-kṣaya.
FAQs
Yajña and dharmic rites are portrayed as supports of cosmic balance; when life diminishes, ritual and order also fade, prompting divine concern.
Not directly; it prepares the theological ground for why divine intervention and sacred geography (Avimukta/Kāśī) become crucial.
No prescription, but yajña and allied rites are identified as declining practices.