Skanda Purana — Prabhasa Khanda, Shloka 72
देवा ऊचुः । अग्निष्टोमादिकाः सर्वाः क्रिया नष्टाः सुरेश्वरि । मर्त्यलोके वयं तेन कर्मणातीव पीडिताः
devā ūcuḥ | agniṣṭomādikāḥ sarvāḥ kriyā naṣṭāḥ sureśvari | martyaloke vayaṃ tena karmaṇātīva pīḍitāḥ
Chư thiên thưa rằng: “Ôi Nữ Thần Tối Thượng, mọi nghi lễ—khởi từ tế lễ Agniṣṭoma—đều đã tiêu vong. Vì sự mất mát của hành nghiệp nghi lễ ấy, chúng con bị khổ não sâu nặng nơi cõi người.”
Devas
Tirtha: Arbuda-Śrī Mātā-kṣetra
Type: kshetra
Listener: Nṛpa-sattama (king)
Scene: Devas in a semi-circle before the Supreme Goddess, speaking with urgency; Agni (fire deity) appears dim, sacrificial ladles and vessels shown unused, emphasizing the loss of Agniṣṭoma rites.
FAQs
Vedic rites are portrayed as a pillar of dharma; their disappearance causes suffering even to divine beings, prompting appeal to the Goddess.
The broader setting is Arbuda, where the gods address the Goddess; the verse itself focuses on the crisis of rites.
Agniṣṭoma and related yajñas are named as foundational rituals whose restoration is implied.