Skanda Purana — Avanti Khanda, Shloka 25
मम वा दुष्कृतं किंचिदुताहो भवतामिह । येन नष्टोऽग्निशालायां हुतभुक्केन हेतुना
mama vā duṣkṛtaṃ kiṃcidutāho bhavatāmiha | yena naṣṭo'gniśālāyāṃ hutabhukkena hetunā
“माझ्याकडून काही दुष्कृत झाले आहे काय, की तुमच्याकडून येथे काही दोष झाला आहे—ज्यामुळे अग्निशाळेत हुतभुक् (अग्निदेव) अदृश्य झाला? हे कोणत्या हेतुने?”
Rājā (the king)
Tirtha: Revā-kṣetra
Type: kshetra
Listener: brāhmaṇas/ṛtviks
Scene: The king, anxious yet sincere, asks whether his own misdeed or that of the officiants caused Agni’s withdrawal; the fire-pit appears empty or faint, as if the deity has receded.
FAQs
Ritual efficacy is tied to ethical integrity; when sacred order falters, self-examination for duṣkṛta is a dharmic first step.
The narrative belongs to the Revā Khaṇḍa milieu (Narmadā sacred landscape); this verse centers on the yajña setting (agniśālā).
Implicitly, maintain ritual and moral purity so that Agni remains ‘present’—a prerequisite for yajña completion.