Skanda Purana — Brahma Khanda, Shloka 11

Devanagari script

न वेदाध्ययनं लोके भवेत्तस्य भयेन च । कुर्वते वाडवा देवा न च संध्याद्युपासनम्

Transliteration

na vedādhyayanaṃ loke bhavettasya bhayena ca | kurvate vāḍavā devā na ca saṃdhyādyupāsanam

Translation

ด้วยความหวาดกลัวเขา การศึกษาพระเวทในโลกก็ไม่อาจดำรงอยู่ได้ แม้เหล่าเทวะก็ถึงความอับจน และมิได้ประกอบอุปาสนาที่เริ่มด้วยพิธีสันธยา

Word by Word

• na: not
• na: Pratiṣedha (Negation)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: na (अव्यय)
• Form: निषेध-अव्यय (negation particle)

• veda-adhyayanam: study of the Veda
• veda-adhyayanam: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: veda (प्रातिपदिक) + adhyayana (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति (Nominative/1st), एकवचन

• loke: in the world
• loke: Adhikaraṇa (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: loka (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, सप्तमी-विभक्ति (Locative/7th), एकवचन

• bhavet: would be/should occur
• bhavet: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: bhū (धातु)
• Form: विधिलिङ्-लकार (Optative), प्रथम-पुरुष (3rd person), एकवचन, परस्मैपद

• tasya: of him
• tasya: Sambandha (Relation/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: tad (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग/नपुंसकलिङ्ग, षष्ठी-विभक्ति (Genitive/6th), एकवचन

• bhayena: because of fear
• bhayena: Hetu (Cause/हेतु)
• Type: Noun
• Root: bhaya (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, तृतीया-विभक्ति (Instrumental/3rd), एकवचन

• ca: and
• ca: Samuccaya (Connector)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: ca (अव्यय)
• Form: समुच्चय-अव्यय (conjunction)

• kurvate: do/perform
• kurvate: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: kṛ (धातु)
• Form: लट्-लकार (Present), प्रथम-पुरुष (3rd person), बहुवचन, आत्मनेपद

• vāḍavāḥ: (certain) beings called Vāḍavas
• vāḍavāḥ: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: vāḍava (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, बहुवचन

• devāḥ: gods
• devāḥ: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: deva (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, बहुवचन

• na: not
• na: Pratiṣedha (Negation)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: na (अव्यय)
• Form: निषेध-अव्यय (negation particle)

• ca: and
• ca: Samuccaya (Connector)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: ca (अव्यय)
• Form: समुच्चय-अव्यय (conjunction)

• saṃdhyā-ādi-upāsanam: worship such as the sandhyā rites
• saṃdhyā-ādi-upāsanam: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: saṃdhyā (प्रातिपदिक) + ādi (अव्यय/प्रातिपदिक) + upāsana (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति (Accusative/2nd), एकवचन; 'संध्यादीनाम् उपासनम्'

Speaker

Sūta (Lomaharṣaṇa) (deduced from Brāhma Khaṇḍa narrative style)

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: Yudhiṣṭhira

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A somber tableau: students’ recitation halls silent, palm-leaf texts closed; devas shown diminished (vādava—wretched), heads bowed, sandhyā vessels untouched; a looming asura-shadow symbolizes fear suppressing dharma.

Characters & Entities

• Veda
• Devāḥ
• Sandhyā

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

When fear and unrighteous influence dominate, even foundational dharma—Vedic study and daily Sandhyā worship—falls away; the verse warns to protect and uphold nitya-karma.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

This verse is primarily a dharma-centered warning within the Dharmāraṇya context; it does not explicitly name a particular tīrtha in the given line.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

It references nitya-karma: vedādhyayana (Vedic study/recitation) and saṃdhyā-ādi-upāsanā (daily worship beginning with Sandhyā rites, i.e., Sandhyā-vandana and associated observances).