Skanda Purana — Brahma Khanda, Shloka 12
न क्रतुर्वर्तते तत्र न चैव सुरपूजनम् । देशेदेशे च सर्वत्र ग्रामेग्रामे पुरेपुरे
na kraturvartate tatra na caiva surapūjanam | deśedeśe ca sarvatra grāmegrāme purepure
Di sana tiada berlangsung kratu (korban suci Veda), dan pemujaan kepada para dewa juga tidak dipelihara. Di setiap negeri, di mana-mana—dari kampung ke kampung dan kota ke kota—kelalaian itu terlihat.
Sūta (Lomaharṣaṇa) (deduced from Brāhma Khaṇḍa narrative style and purāṇic recitation context)
Tirtha: Dharmāraṇya
Type: kshetra
Listener: Rājan (King)
Scene: A wide panorama of villages and cities where altars are cold and temples unattended—no smoke of offerings, no bells—contrasted with a distant, luminous forest boundary hinting at Dharmāraṇya’s protection.
FAQs
It laments the erosion of Vedic sacrifice and divine worship, urging a return to dharma through reverence, ritual, and right conduct across society.
This verse is thematic rather than naming a single tīrtha; within the Dharmāraṇya Khaṇḍa frame it supports the māhātmya by contrasting widespread neglect of worship with the sanctity and dharmic power of Dharmāraṇya.
No positive prescription is stated here; it is a negative description—absence of kratu (yajña) and sura-pūjana—setting up the text’s later encouragement toward worship and dharmic observances.