Skanda Purana — Kashi Khanda, Shloka 32

Devanagari script

चिंतामवाप महती जगद्योनिः प्रजाक्षयात् । प्रजासु क्षीयमाणासु क्षीणा यज्ञादिकाः क्रियाः

Transliteration

ciṃtāmavāpa mahatī jagadyoniḥ prajākṣayāt | prajāsu kṣīyamāṇāsu kṣīṇā yajñādikāḥ kriyāḥ

Translation

Dahil sa pagkapuksa ng mga nilalang, ang Sinapupunan ng daigdig (Brahmā) ay nabalot ng malaking pangamba. Habang nababawasan ang mga nilalang, humina rin ang mga ritwal na nagsisimula sa yajña.

Word by Word

• ciṃtām: anxiety/thought
• ciṃtām: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: ciṃtā (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग (Feminine), द्वितीया-विभक्ति (Accusative/2nd), एकवचन (Singular)

• avāpa: obtained/experienced
• avāpa: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: ava + āp (धातु)
• Form: लिट्-लकार (Perfect), प्रथम-पुरुष (3rd person), एकवचन (Singular), परस्मैपद (Parasmaipada)

• mahatī: great
• mahatī: Karta (Predicate adjective/कर्ता)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: mahat (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग (Feminine), प्रथमा-विभक्ति (Nominative/1st), एकवचन (Singular)

• jagadyoniḥ: the source of the world
• jagadyoniḥ: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: jagat + yoni (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग (Feminine), प्रथमा-विभक्ति (Nominative/1st), एकवचन (Singular)

• prajākṣayāt: from the destruction of creatures
• prajākṣayāt: Hetu (Cause/हेतु)
• Type: Noun
• Root: prajā + kṣaya (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग (Masculine), पञ्चमी-विभक्ति (Ablative/5th), एकवचन (Singular)

• prajāsu: among the creatures
• prajāsu: Adhikarana (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: prajā (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग (Feminine), सप्तमी-विभक्ति (Locative/7th), बहुवचन (Plural)

• kṣīyamāṇāsu: while (they) were dwindling
• kṣīyamāṇāsu: Adhikarana (Qualifier in locative/अधिकरण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: kṣī (धातु) + yamāna (शानच्, कृत्प्रत्यय)
• Form: वर्तमानकृदन्त (present passive participle), स्त्रीलिङ्ग (Feminine), सप्तमी-विभक्ति (Locative/7th), बहुवचन (Plural)

• kṣīṇāḥ: diminished
• kṣīṇāḥ: Karta (Predicate adjective/कर्ता)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: kṣī (धातु) + na (क्त, कृत्प्रत्यय)
• Form: भूतकृदन्त (past participle), स्त्रीलिङ्ग (Feminine), प्रथमा-विभक्ति (Nominative/1st), बहुवचन (Plural)

• yajñādikāḥ: sacrificial and other
• yajñādikāḥ: Karta (Qualifier/कर्ता)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: yajña + ādi + ka (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग (Feminine), प्रथमा-विभक्ति (Nominative/1st), बहुवचन (Plural)

• kriyāḥ: rites/actions
• kriyāḥ: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: kriyā (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग (Feminine), प्रथमा-विभक्ति (Nominative/1st), बहुवचन (Plural)

Speaker

Skanda

Visual Art Cues

Scene: Brahmā, ‘jagad-yoni’, sits in contemplation with furrowed concern; below, abandoned yajña-vedis, cold ash, and dwindling households symbolize prajā-kṣaya and kriyā-kṣaya.

Characters & Entities

• Skanda
• Brahmā (Jagadyoni)
• Yajña

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Yajña and dharmic rites are portrayed as supports of cosmic balance; when life diminishes, ritual and order also fade, prompting divine concern.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

Not directly; it prepares the theological ground for why divine intervention and sacred geography (Avimukta/Kāśī) become crucial.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

No prescription, but yajña and allied rites are identified as declining practices.