Skanda Purana — Avanti Khanda, Shloka 21

Devanagari script

तस्य तत्त्वेन रक्षा च त्वया कार्या सदैव हि । विनाशी नैव कर्तव्यो यावत्कालस्य पर्ययः

Transliteration

tasya tattvena rakṣā ca tvayā kāryā sadaiva hi | vināśī naiva kartavyo yāvatkālasya paryayaḥ

Translation

അതുകൊണ്ട് നീ സദാ സത്യഭാവത്തോടെ അവനെ സംരക്ഷിക്കണം. കാലത്തിന്റെ നിശ്ചിത പര്യായം പൂർത്തിയാകുന്നതുവരെ അവന്റെ നാശം വരുത്തരുത്.

Word by Word

• तस्य: of him/it
• तस्य: Sambandha (Genitive/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: तद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुं/नपुंसक (Masculine/Neuter), षष्ठी (Genitive/6th), एकवचन (Singular)

• तत्त्वेन: by truth; in reality
• तत्त्वेन: Karana (Instrument/करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: तत्त्व (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग (Neuter), तृतीया (Instrumental/3rd), एकवचन (Singular); प्रकार/हेतु (by the true principle/according to reality)

• रक्षा: protection
• रक्षा: Karma (Object understood with kāryā/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: रक्षा (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग (Feminine), प्रथमा (Nominative/1st), एकवचन (Singular)

• च: and
• च: Sambandha (Connector/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: च (अव्यय)
• Form: समुच्चय-अव्यय (conjunction)

• त्वया: by you
• त्वया: Kartr-karana (Agent in passive/कर्तृकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: युष्मद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: तृतीया (Instrumental/3rd), एकवचन (Singular)

• कार्या: must be done
• कार्या: Kriya (Obligation predicate/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: कृ (धातु)
• Form: कृत्य-प्रत्ययान्त (gerundive/obligatory), स्त्रीलिङ्ग (Feminine), प्रथमा (Nominative/1st), एकवचन (Singular); विधेय (to be done)

• सदैव: always
• सदैव: Kriya-vishesana (Adverbial/क्रियाविशेषण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: सदा + एव (अव्यय)
• Form: कालवाचक-अव्यय (adverb of time)

• हि: indeed, for
• हि: Sambandha (Discourse particle/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: हि (अव्यय)
• Form: हेतौ/निश्चये अव्यय (particle: for/indeed)

• विनाशी: destructible; to be destroyed
• विनाशी: Karma-samānādhikaraṇa (Object complement/समानााधिकरण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: विनाशिन् (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग (Masculine), प्रथमा (Nominative/1st), एकवचन (Singular); विशेषण (predicate adjective)

• न: not
• न: Sambandha (Negation/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: न (अव्यय)
• Form: निषेध-अव्यय

• एव: at all, indeed
• एव: Sambandha (Emphasis/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: एव (अव्यय)
• Form: निश्चयार्थक-अव्यय

• कर्तव्यः: should be made/done
• कर्तव्यः: Kriya (Obligation predicate/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: कृ (धातु)
• Form: कृत्य-प्रत्ययान्त (gerundive), पुंलिङ्ग (Masculine), प्रथमा (Nominative/1st), एकवचन (Singular); विधेय (to be made/done)

• यावत्: as long as, until
• यावत्: Sambandha (Temporal connector/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: यावत् (अव्यय)
• Form: परिमाण/अवधि-वाचक-अव्यय (until/as long as)

• कालस्य: of time
• कालस्य: Sambandha (Genitive/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: काल (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग (Masculine), षष्ठी (Genitive/6th), एकवचन (Singular)

• पर्ययः: turning; change; course
• पर्ययः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: पर्यय (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग (Masculine), प्रथमा (Nominative/1st), एकवचन (Singular)

Speaker

Mahāmuni / Vipra

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Revā-kṣetra (contextual)

Type: kshetra

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A firm instruction scene: the counselor emphasizes continuous protection and forbids destruction until time’s cycle completes; the woman listens with conflicted emotion.

Characters & Entities

• Kāla

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Dharma prioritizes rakṣā (protection) and forbids deliberate destruction; one should allow kāla and daiva to unfold while acting with compassion.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

No tīrtha is named in this verse; it is ethical instruction within the Revā-khaṇḍa narrative.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

No formal ritual is described; the prescription is moral—protect and do not destroy.