Skanda Purana — Mahesvara Khanda, Shloka 42

Devanagari script

अहं ब्रह्मा च विष्णुश्च त्रयोऽमी गुणकारिणः । सृष्टिपालनसंहारकारका नान्यथा भवेत्

Transliteration

ahaṃ brahmā ca viṣṇuśca trayo'mī guṇakāriṇaḥ | sṛṣṭipālanasaṃhārakārakā nānyathā bhavet

Translation

Aku, Brahmā dan Viṣṇu—tiga ini berfungsi melalui guṇa. Kamilah pelaku penciptaan, pemeliharaan dan peleburan; tidak mungkin selain demikian.

Word by Word

• अहम्: I
• अहम्: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: अहम् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: सर्वनाम, उत्तमपुरुष-सूचक; प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), एकवचन (Singular), पुल्लिङ्ग/स्त्रीलिङ्ग-निर्देशातीत (common pronoun)

• ब्रह्मा: Brahmā
• ब्रह्मा: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: ब्रह्मन्/ब्रह्मा (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुल्लिङ्ग (Masculine), प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), एकवचन (Singular)

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

• विष्णुः: Viṣṇu
• विष्णुः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: विष्णु (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुल्लिङ्ग (Masculine), प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), एकवचन (Singular)

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

• त्रयः: three (persons)
• त्रयः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: त्रि (संख्याप्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुल्लिङ्ग (Masculine), प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), बहुवचन (Plural)

• अमी: these
• अमी: Apposition (समानाधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: अदस् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: सर्वनाम; पुल्लिङ्ग (Masculine), प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), बहुवचन (Plural)

• गुणकारिणः: doers/agents of the guṇas
• गुणकारिणः: Predicate/Viśeṣya (विधेय)
• Type: Noun
• Root: गुण + कारिन् (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: तत्पुरुष-समास (गुणान् करोति इति); पुल्लिङ्ग (Masculine), प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), बहुवचन (Plural)

• सृष्टि-पालन-संहार-कारकाः: agents of creation, preservation, and dissolution
• सृष्टि-पालन-संहार-कारकाः: Predicate/Viśeṣya (विधेय)
• Type: Noun
• Root: सृष्टि (प्रातिपदिक) + पालन (कृदन्त/प्रातिपदिक) + संहार (प्रातिपदिक) + कारक (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: समाहार/इतरेतर-द्वन्द्व-समास (सृष्टेः पालनस्य संहारस्य च कारकाः); पुल्लिङ्ग (Masculine), प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), बहुवचन (Plural)

• न: not
• न: Negation (निषेध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: न (अव्यय)
• Form: निषेधार्थक-अव्यय (negation particle)

• अन्यथा: otherwise
• अन्यथा: Adverbial (क्रियाविशेषण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: अन्यथा (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय (adverb: otherwise)

• भवेत्: would be / should be
• भवेत्: Kriya (Verb/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: भू (धातु)
• Form: विधिलिङ् (Optative), प्रथमपुरुष (3rd person), एकवचन (Singular), परस्मैपद

Speaker

Unspecified (first-person ‘aham’ likely denotes Maheśvara/Īśvara in a Śaiva framing)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Kedāra / Kedāranātha

Type: kshetra

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: Devas/ṛṣis/pilgrims (contextual audience within Kedāra narrative)

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A contemplative cosmic tableau: the triad (Brahmā, Viṣṇu, Rudra/Śiva-function) shown as agents of creation-preservation-dissolution, with three colored streams (rajas-red, sattva-white/gold, tamas-dark blue/black) flowing into the universe-wheel; Kedāra’s snowy peaks faintly behind, indicating the teaching is spoken in a Himalayan tīrtha setting.

Characters & Entities

• Brahmā
• Viṣṇu
• Guṇas
• Sṛṣṭi
• Pālana
• Saṃhāra

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Cosmic processes are administered through the guṇas via the divine functions of creation, preservation, and dissolution.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

Not directly; it is theological context within Kedārakhaṇḍa’s Śaiva narrative environment.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

None; it is a doctrinal statement about cosmic governance.