Skanda Purana — Avanti Khanda, Shloka 59
एवमुक्ते तया वाक्ये स्तम्भितेऽर्के तमोमयम् । न च प्रजायते सर्वं निर्वषट्कारसत्क्रियम्
evamukte tayā vākye stambhite'rke tamomayam | na ca prajāyate sarvaṃ nirvaṣaṭkārasatkriyam
അവൾ അങ്ങനെ പറഞ്ഞപ്പോൾ സൂര്യൻ തടഞ്ഞുനിന്നു; എല്ലായിടത്തും അന്ധകാരം നിറഞ്ഞു. പിന്നെ ഒന്നും ശരിയായി നടന്നില്ല—വഷട്ഘോഷവും ഇല്ല, യജ്ഞാദി സത്ക്രിയയും ഇല്ല।
Narrator (within Śrī Mārkaṇḍeya’s discourse contextually, though not explicit in this verse)
Listener: Pārtha (frame implied by surrounding address)
Scene: The sun stands immobilized; a blanket of darkness covers settlements; fire-altars sit cold; priests fall silent—no vaṣaṭ resounds; daily rites stall across the world.
FAQs
Cosmic stability and ritual life are interconnected in Purāṇic thought; when order collapses, dharmic rites also cease.
The Revā (Narmadā) narrative framework continues; the verse emphasizes universal ritual breakdown rather than a single site.
It references the absence of vaṣaṭkāra and satkriyā—key markers of functioning Vedic rites.