Skanda Purana — Prabhasa Khanda, Shloka 16
यदा ते तामसैः कार्यं तदा रौद्रो भव स्वयम् । यदा ते राजसैः कार्यं तदा त्वं राजसो भव । सात्त्विकैस्ते यदा कार्यं तदा त्वं सात्त्विको भव
yadā te tāmasaiḥ kāryaṃ tadā raudro bhava svayam | yadā te rājasaiḥ kāryaṃ tadā tvaṃ rājaso bhava | sāttvikaiste yadā kāryaṃ tadā tvaṃ sāttviko bhava
„Wenn deine Aufgabe tamas verlangt, dann werde aus eigenem Antrieb furchtbar (raudra). Wenn sie rajas verlangt, dann werde rajassisch. Und wenn sie sattva verlangt, dann werde sattvisch.“
Īśvara (Śiva) (deduced from immediate narrative flow into the next verse’s “īśvara uvāca”)
Tirtha: Vastrāpatha-kṣetra
Type: kshetra
Listener: Brahmā’s addressee is implied as the cosmic agent executing tasks (often Rudra/Īśvara in the narrative logic)
Scene: A triptych of Rudra’s controlled transformations: raudra (dark, fierce), rajasa (red, dynamic), sāttvika (white-gold, serene), each invoked for a specific task, showing deliberate self-command.
FAQs
Dharma may require different modes of action; one should consciously adopt the needed guṇa without losing higher purpose.
The broader context is the Vastrāpatha-kṣetra within Prabhāsa Khaṇḍa, though this verse itself is a doctrinal instruction rather than direct site-praise.
None explicitly; it is an ethical teaching about appropriate conduct (guṇa-based suitability) in fulfilling duty.