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
“Sesiapa yang mengamalkan dharma pada siang hari akan menemui maut pada malamnya; dan di seluruh bumi tiada lagi pengajian Veda, tiada lagi seruan ‘vaṣaṭ’, wahai Yang Maha Perkasa.”
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.