Skanda Purana — Prabhasa Khanda, Shloka 70

Devanagari script

शून्यास्ते नरकाः सर्वे संबभूवुर्यमस्य ये । यज्ञभागविहीनाश्च देवाः कष्टमुपागताः

Transliteration

śūnyāste narakāḥ sarve saṃbabhūvuryamasya ye | yajñabhāgavihīnāśca devāḥ kaṣṭamupāgatāḥ

Translation

یَم کے جو سب دوزخ تھے وہ سب خالی ہو گئے؛ اور یَجْن کے حصّوں سے محروم دیوتا سخت پریشانی میں مبتلا ہو گئے۔

Word by Word

• शून्याः: empty
• शून्याः: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: शून्य (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, बहुवचन — Masculine, Nominative, Plural; agreeing with नरकाः

• ते: those
• ते: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: तद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, बहुवचन — Masculine, Nominative, Plural

• नरकाः: hells
• नरकाः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: नरक (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, बहुवचन — Masculine, Nominative, Plural

• सर्वे: all
• सर्वे: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: सर्व (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, बहुवचन — Masculine, Nominative, Plural; agreeing with नरकाः

• संबभूवुः: became
• संबभूवुः: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: सम्-√भू (धातु)
• Form: लिट्-लकार (परोक्षभूत), परस्मैपद, प्रथमपुरुष, बहुवचन — Perfect, 3rd person plural

• यमस्य: of Yama
• यमस्य: Sambandha (Possessor/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: यम (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, षष्ठी, एकवचन — Masculine, Genitive, Singular

• ये: which
• ये: Karta (Relative subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: यद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, बहुवचन — Masculine, Nominative, Plural; relative pronoun referring to नरकाः

• यज्ञभागविहीनाः: deprived of sacrificial shares
• यज्ञभागविहीनाः: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: यज्ञ + भाग + विहीन (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, बहुवचन — Masculine, Nominative, Plural; agreeing with देवाः; (यज्ञभागेन विहीनाः)

• च: and
• च: Samuccaya (Conjunction/समुच्चय)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: च (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय (समुच्चय) — conjunction

• देवाः: the gods
• देवाः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: देव (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, बहुवचन — Masculine, Nominative, Plural

• कष्टम्: distress/trouble
• कष्टम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: कष्ट (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया, एकवचन — Neuter, Accusative, Singular

• उपागताः: came to/reached
• उपागताः: Kriya (Predicate/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: उप-√गम् (धातु) + क्त (कृदन्त)
• Form: भूतकर्मणि कृदन्त (क्त-प्रत्यय), पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, बहुवचन — past participle ‘having reached/come to’, agreeing with देवाः

Speaker

Pulastya (narrator) (deduced from nearby 'Pulastya uvāca')

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: Nṛpa-sattama (king)

Visual Art Cues

Scene: Empty, silent hells with vacant tortures and abandoned instruments; Yama’s realm eerily quiet. In contrast, devas appear weakened, their splendor dimmed, lacking sacrificial offerings.

Characters & Entities

• Yama
• naraka
• deva
• yajñabhāga
• yajña

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Ritual order (yajña) is linked with cosmic order: when sacrificial duty collapses, both punishment systems and divine nourishment are disrupted.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

The passage belongs to Arbuda-khaṇḍa, situating the teaching within the Mount Arbuda sacred landscape though this verse emphasizes cosmic consequences rather than a single shrine.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

The concept of yajñabhāga (the gods’ sacrificial portion) is highlighted, implying the necessity of maintaining yajña rites.