Skanda Purana — Prabhasa Khanda, Shloka 20
यो धर्ममाचरेदह्नि स रात्रौ मृत्युमेति च । न स्वाध्यायवषट्कारं समस्ते भूतले विभो
yo dharmamācaredahni sa rātrau mṛtyumeti ca | na svādhyāyavaṣaṭkāraṃ samaste bhūtale vibho
“Siapa pun yang menjalankan dharma pada siang hari, pada malam hari ia menemui maut. Wahai Vibhu, di seluruh bumi tiada lagi svādhyāya (telaah Weda) dan tiada pula seruan vaṣaṭ.”
Tāpasas and jñāna-śīlins addressing Brahmā (reported speech)
Tirtha: Prabhāsa-kṣetra
Type: kshetra
Listener: Ṛṣis (frame assumed)
Scene: Sages describe a world where daytime dharma leads to nighttime death; the sound of Veda and vaṣaṭ is absent—shown as silent sacrificial halls and closed palm-leaf manuscripts.
FAQs
Dharma must be safeguarded institutionally and spiritually; when evil targets the righteous, collective protection and divine remedy are required.
The account is embedded in Prabhāsa-kṣetra māhātmya, a sacred geography narrative that culminates in dharma’s re-establishment.
Svādhyāya (Vedic recitation) and vaṣaṭkāra (fire-offering chant) are cited as essential rites that have ceased.