Skanda Purana — Prabhasa Khanda, Shloka 192

Devanagari script

रुद्र उवाच । इन्द्रादिभिर्न मे कार्यं ब्रह्मा मे किं करिष्यति । येन केन प्रकारेण प्रजाः पाल्यास्त्वया ऽधुना

Transliteration

rudra uvāca | indrādibhirna me kāryaṃ brahmā me kiṃ kariṣyati | yena kena prakāreṇa prajāḥ pālyāstvayā 'dhunā

Translation

രുദ്രൻ പറഞ്ഞു—ഇന്ദ്രാദികളാൽ എനിക്കൊരു കാര്യവുമില്ല; ബ്രഹ്മൻ എനിക്കെന്തു ചെയ്യും? ഏതുവിധേനയായാലും ഇപ്പോൾ നീ തന്നേ പ്രജകളെ പാലിച്ചു രക്ഷിക്കണം।

Word by Word

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

• uvāca: said
• uvāca: Kriyā (Verb/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: vac (धातु)
• Form: लिट्-लकार (Perfect), प्रथमपुरुष, एकवचन

• indrādibhiḥ: with Indra and others
• indrādibhiḥ: Karaṇa (Instrument/करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: indra (प्रातिपदिक) + ādi (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, तृतीया-विभक्ति (करण), बहुवचन; तत्पुरुष (indra-ādi = Indra etc.)

• na: not
• na: Pratiṣedha (Negation/निषेध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: na (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; निषेधार्थक निपात

• me: for me / my
• me: Sambandha (Genitive/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: asmad (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: षष्ठी-विभक्ति (सम्बन्ध), एकवचन; सर्वनाम

• kāryam: need, business
• kāryam: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: kārya (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन; भाववाचक (thing to be done/need)

• brahmā: Brahmā
• brahmā: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: brahman (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन

• me: to me
• me: Sampradāna (Recipient/सम्प्रदान)
• Type: Noun
• Root: asmad (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: चतुर्थी-विभक्ति (सम्प्रदान), एकवचन; सर्वनाम

• kim: what?
• kim: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: kim (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति, एकवचन; प्रश्नवाचक सर्वनाम

• kariṣyati: will do
• kariṣyati: Kriyā (Verb/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: kṛ (धातु)
• Form: लृट्-लकार (Simple Future), प्रथमपुरुष, एकवचन

• yena: by which
• yena: Karaṇa (Instrument/करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: yad (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुं/नपुंसकलिङ्ग, तृतीया-विभक्ति (करण), एकवचन; सम्बन्धवाचक सर्वनाम

• kena: by what (any)
• kena: Karaṇa (Instrument/करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: kim (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुं/नपुंसकलिङ्ग, तृतीया-विभक्ति (करण), एकवचन; प्रश्नवाचक सर्वनाम

• prakāreṇa: by a manner/way
• prakāreṇa: Karaṇa (Instrument/करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: prakāra (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, तृतीया-विभक्ति (करण), एकवचन

• prajāḥ: subjects, creatures
• prajāḥ: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: prajā (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, बहुवचन

• pālyāḥ: to be protected
• pālyāḥ: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Verb
• Root: pāl (धातु)
• Form: कृदन्त; भविष्यत्कर्तव्यतार्थक (gerundive/तव्यत्-प्रत्यय), स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, बहुवचन; ‘to be protected’

• tvayā: by you
• tvayā: Karta (Agent/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: tvad (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: तृतीया-विभक्ति (करण/कर्तृ), एकवचन; सर्वनाम

• adhunā: now
• adhunā: Kāla (Time/काल)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: adhunā (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; कालवाचक क्रियाविशेषण (now)

Speaker

Rudra (Śiva)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Vastrāpatha-kṣetra

Type: kshetra

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: Indra and the devas (implied addressees)

Visual Art Cues

Scene: Śiva (Rudra) speaks with stern calm to the assembled gods, dismissing reliance on Indra/Brahmā and issuing a mandate to protect the people; the sacred landscape of Prabhāsa/Vastrāpatha forms the backdrop.

Characters & Entities

• Rudra (Śiva)
• Indra
• Brahmā

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Dharma requires practical guardianship; responsibility for protecting beings must be undertaken decisively, beyond dependence on status or hierarchy.

Which specific holy site (Tīrtha) is glorified here?

The dialogue belongs to the Vastrāpathakṣetra Māhātmya of Prabhāsa Khaṇḍa.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

None; the focus is on loka-pālana (protection of beings) as a divine duty.