Skanda Purana — Prabhasa Khanda, Shloka 5

Devanagari script

निःस्वाध्यायवषट्कारं तदाऽसीद्धरणीतलम् । नष्टयज्ञोत्सवं सर्वं रुरोर्भयनिपीडितम्

Transliteration

niḥsvādhyāyavaṣaṭkāraṃ tadā'sīddharaṇītalam | naṣṭayajñotsavaṃ sarvaṃ rurorbhayanipīḍitam

Translation

അപ്പോൾ ധരണീതലം സ്വാധ്യായധ്വനിയും ‘വഷട്’ എന്ന ഘോഷവും ഇല്ലാതെ നിശ്ശബ്ദമായി; റുരുവിന്റെ ഭയപീഡനത്തിൽ എല്ലാ യജ്ഞോത്സവങ്ങളും നശിച്ചു।

Word by Word

• निःस्वाध्यायवषट्कारम्: without Vedic study and vaṣaṭ exclamations
• निःस्वाध्यायवषट्कारम्: Karma (Predicate complement/कर्मसमानाधिकरण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: निःस्वाध्यायवषट्कार = निः + स्वाध्याय + वषट्कार (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया, एकवचन; विशेषण (devoid of svādhyāya and vaṣaṭ-calls)

• तदा: then
• तदा: Adhikarana (Time/कालाधिकरण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: तदा (अव्यय)
• Form: कालवाचक-अव्यय (temporal adverb: 'then')

• आसीत्: was
• आसीत्: Kriya (Copula/अस्तिक्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: √अस् (धातु)
• Form: लङ् (Imperfect/लङ्), प्रथमपुरुष, एकवचन; परस्मैपद; 'was'

• धरणीतलम्: the earth's surface
• धरणीतलम्: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: धरणीतल = धरणी + तल (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन (nominative singular)

• नष्टयज्ञोत्सवम्: with sacrificial festivities destroyed
• नष्टयज्ञोत्सवम्: Karma (Predicate complement/कर्मसमानाधिकरण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: नष्टयज्ञोत्सव = नष्ट + यज्ञोत्सव (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया, एकवचन; विशेषण (whose yajña-festivities were destroyed)

• सर्वम्: entire, all
• सर्वम्: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: सर्व (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया, एकवचन; here agreeing with धरणीतलम् as predicate/description

• रुरोः: of Ruru
• रुरोः: Sambandha (Genitive relation/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: रुरु (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, षष्ठी, एकवचन (genitive singular: 'of Ruru')

• भयनिपीडितम्: oppressed by fear (of Ruru)
• भयनिपीडितम्: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: भयनिपीडित = भय + नि + √पीड् (धातु) → निपीडित (कृदन्त, क्त)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया, एकवचन; कृदन्त (past passive participle) 'oppressed by fear' (fear caused by Ruru)

Speaker

Sūta (Lomaharṣaṇa) narrating to the sages (deduced from Purāṇic narration style in Māhātmya sections)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Prabhāsa-kṣetra

Type: kshetra

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: Devī

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A vast earth-scape under a pall of fear: extinguished sacred fires, empty yajña-vedis, silent brāhmaṇas with closed manuscripts; the word 'vaṣaṭ' absent, replaced by oppressive stillness as Ruru’s terror looms.

Characters & Entities

• Ruru

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

When adharma spreads, society’s dharmic pillars—svādhyāya and yajña—collapse; restoration requires divine-aligned effort to reestablish sacred order.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

Prabhāsa-kṣetra (Prabhāsakṣetra), presented as the sacred setting where cosmic disorder is confronted and dharma is restored.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

No direct prescription; it highlights the absence of svādhyāya and yajña (including vaṣaṭ), implying their revival as the remedy.