Skanda Purana — Prabhasa Khanda, Shloka 76
निःस्वाध्यायवषट्काराः प्रजास्तस्मिन्प्रशासति । डिंडिमं घोषयामास स राजा विषये स्वके
niḥsvādhyāyavaṣaṭkārāḥ prajāstasminpraśāsati | ḍiṃḍimaṃ ghoṣayāmāsa sa rājā viṣaye svake
Enquanto ele reinava, o povo ficou sem estudo védico e sem o brado «vaṣaṭ» do sacrifício. Aquele rei mandou proclamar isso ao som do tambor por todo o seu reino.
Purāṇic narrator (contextual; within Prabhāsakṣetra Māhātmya narration)
Tirtha: Prabhāsa
Type: kshetra
Scene: A deserted yajña-śālā with cold firepits; no priests chanting. Instead, a royal drum (ḍiṇḍima) is beaten in streets as fearful citizens watch.
FAQs
A king’s policies can either nourish svādhyāya and yajña or extinguish them—dharma is sustained through both learning and rite.
Prabhāsakṣetra is the overarching sacred geography, though this verse highlights the societal consequences of adharma.
Yajña practice is implied via “vaṣaṭkāra”; the verse laments its suppression rather than prescribing it.