Skanda Purana — Avanti Khanda, Shloka 63

Devanagari script

रुद्र उवाच । ग्रीष्मकालो ह्यहं प्रोक्तः सर्वभूतक्षयंकरः । कर्षयामि जगत्सर्वं रुद्ररूपस्तपस्विनि

Transliteration

rudra uvāca | grīṣmakālo hyahaṃ proktaḥ sarvabhūtakṣayaṃkaraḥ | karṣayāmi jagatsarvaṃ rudrarūpastapasvini

Translation

Rudra sprach: „Ich werde als die Jahreszeit Grīṣma (Sommer) bezeichnet, die allen Wesen Schwund bringt. In meiner Rudra-Gestalt, o Asketin, dörrre ich die ganze Welt aus und ziehe ihre Kraft heraus.“

Word by Word

• रुद्रः: Rudra
• रुद्रः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: रुद्र (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन

• उवाच: said
• उवाच: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: वच् (धातु)
• Form: लिट्-लकार (Perfect), प्रथम-पुरुष, एकवचन, परस्मैपद

• ग्रीष्मकालः: summer-season time
• ग्रीष्मकालः: Pratijñā/Predicate nominative (समानााधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: ग्रीष्म (प्रातिपदिक) + काल (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन

• हि: indeed
• हि: Emphasis (अवधारण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: हि (अव्यय)
• Form: निपात (particle), अव्यय

• अहम्: I
• अहम्: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: अस्मद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: उत्तम-पुरुष सर्वनाम, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन

• प्रोक्तः: am called/said
• प्रोक्तः: Predicate (विधेय)
• Type: Verb
• Root: प्र + वच् (धातु) → प्रोक्त (कृदन्त, क्त-प्रत्यय)
• Form: भूतकर्मणि कृदन्त, पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन

• सर्वभूतक्षयंकरः: causing the destruction of all beings
• सर्वभूतक्षयंकरः: Viśeṣaṇa (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: सर्व (प्रातिपदिक) + भूत (प्रातिपदिक) + क्षय (प्रातिपदिक) + कर (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन; बहुपद-तत्पुरुष (determinative: 'causing destruction of all beings')

• कर्षयामि: I cause to wither/draw away
• कर्षयामि: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: कृष् (धातु) (causative/णिच्) → कर्षयति
• Form: लट्-लकार (Present), उत्तम-पुरुष, एकवचन, परस्मैपद, णिच्-प्रयोग (causative)

• जगत्: world
• जगत्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: जगत् (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति, एकवचन

• सर्वम्: entire
• सर्वम्: Viśeṣaṇa (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: सर्व (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति, एकवचन

• रुद्ररूपः: in the form of Rudra
• रुद्ररूपः: Viśeṣaṇa (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: रुद्र (प्रातिपदिक) + रूप (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन

• तपस्विनि: O ascetic woman
• तपस्विनि: Sambodhana (Address/सम्बोधन)
• Type: Noun
• Root: तपस्विन् (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, सम्बोधन-विभक्ति (Vocative), एकवचन

Speaker

Rudra

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Revā (Narmadā) tirtha (contextual)

Type: river

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: Tapasvinī / Mahāvratā (ascetic lady)

Visual Art Cues

Scene: Rudra speaks to the ascetic lady: blazing summer sun, cracked earth, withered grasses; Rudra-form radiates heat, drawing moisture from the world; yet the ascetic remains steady, embodying tapas.

Characters & Entities

• Rudra
• Grīṣma

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Time’s harshness is also divine: Rudra embodies the transformative austerity that reduces and purifies, reminding beings of impermanence.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

The setting is within the Revā Khaṇḍa (Narmadā sacred geography), though this verse itself focuses on Rudra’s cosmic role rather than a named site.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

No explicit ritual is stated; the verse provides a cosmological identification of Rudra with the summer season.