Skanda Purana — Nagara Khanda, Shloka 24

Devanagari script

नष्टा धर्मक्रिया सर्वा मर्त्यलोकेत्र सांप्रतम् । अस्माकं संक्षयो जातो यज्ञभागं विना प्रभो

Transliteration

naṣṭā dharmakriyā sarvā martyaloketra sāṃpratam | asmākaṃ saṃkṣayo jāto yajñabhāgaṃ vinā prabho

Translation

บัดนี้ในโลกมนุษย์อันไม่เที่ยงนี้ กิจแห่งธรรมทั้งปวงได้เสื่อมสูญไปแล้ว ข้าแต่พระผู้เป็นเจ้า เมื่อปราศจากส่วนของเราในยัญญะ ความเสื่อมของเราก็เริ่มขึ้น

Word by Word

• नष्टा: destroyed, lost
• नष्टा: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: नष्ट (कृदन्त; √नश् (धातु) + क्त)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति (Nominative), एकवचन; क्त-प्रत्ययान्त भूतकर्मणि/भूतकृदन्त; विशेषणम्

• धर्मक्रिया: religious rites/acts of dharma
• धर्मक्रिया: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: धर्म + क्रिया (प्रातिपदिके)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन; षष्ठी-तत्पुरुषः (धर्मस्य क्रिया)

• सर्वा: all, entire
• सर्वा: Visheshana (Adjectival modifier)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: सर्व (सर्व-शब्द; प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन; विशेषणम् (धर्मक्रियायाः)

• मर्त्यलोके: in the mortal world
• मर्त्यलोके: Adhikarana (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: मर्त्य + लोक (प्रातिपदिके)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, सप्तमी-विभक्ति (Locative), एकवचन; षष्ठी-तत्पुरुषः (मर्त्यानां लोकः)

• इह: here
• इह: Avyaya (Adverbial)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: इह (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; देशवाचक-अव्यय (adverb of place)

• सांप्रतम्: now, at present
• सांप्रतम्: Avyaya (Temporal adverb)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: सांप्रतम् (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; कालवाचक-अव्यय (adverb of time)

• अस्माकम्: of us, our
• अस्माकम्: Sambandha (Genitive relation)
• Type: Noun
• Root: अस्मद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: षष्ठी-विभक्ति (Genitive), बहुवचन; सर्वनाम

• संक्षयः: destruction, loss
• संक्षयः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: संक्षय (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन

• जातः: has arisen, has occurred
• जातः: Kriya (Predicative action/state)
• Type: Verb
• Root: जात (कृदन्त; √जन् (धातु) + क्त)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन; क्त-प्रत्ययान्त भूतकृदन्त; ‘भूतः/उत्पन्नः’ इति क्रियार्थे (periphrastic predicate)

• यज्ञभागम्: the sacrificial share/portion
• यज्ञभागम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: यज्ञ + भाग (प्रातिपदिके)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति (Accusative), एकवचन; षष्ठी-तत्पुरुषः (यज्ञस्य भागः)

• विना: without
• विना: Nishedha/Apavarga (Exclusion)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: विना (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; उपपद-निपातः (preposition) द्वितीयां विना/तृतीयां विना प्रयोगः; अत्र द्वितीया-सह

• प्रभो: O Lord
• प्रभो: Sambodhana (Address)
• Type: Noun
• Root: प्रभु (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, संबोधन-विभक्ति (Vocative), एकवचन

Speaker

Devas

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: Śaunaka and sages (typical) / audience of the māhātmya

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A council of devas, faces shadowed with worry, speaking of vanished yajñas on earth; smoke-less altars and abandoned vedi-s; the earth below shown dim, with broken ritual implements.

Characters & Entities

• Devas
• Martyaloka
• Yajña
• Prabhu (addressed deity, contextually Śiva)

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Ritual duty (dharma-kriyā) sustains the cosmic ecosystem; when it collapses, even divine powers weaken, prompting recourse to the Supreme.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

The verse is part of the lead-up to the Hāṭakeśvara/Pādukā tīrtha discussion in this adhyāya.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

It underscores the necessity of yajña and the devas’ yajña-bhāga (sacrificial share), but gives no specific rite yet.