Skanda Purana — Mahesvara Khanda, Shloka 197

Devanagari script

रुद्र उवाच । रणे न शक्यते हंतुमपि देववरैरपि । तस्मात्त्वया हि कर्तव्यं कुत्सितं कर्म चाद्य वै

Transliteration

rudra uvāca | raṇe na śakyate haṃtumapi devavarairapi | tasmāttvayā hi kartavyaṃ kutsitaṃ karma cādya vai

Translation

พระรุทระตรัสว่า: “ในสนามรบ เขามิอาจถูกสังหารได้ แม้โดยเหล่าเทพผู้ประเสริฐที่สุดก็ตาม เพราะฉะนั้น วันนี้ท่านจำต้องกระทำกรรมอันน่าติเตียนประการหนึ่ง”

Word by Word

• रुद्रः: Rudra
• रुद्रः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: रुद्र (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st), एकवचन

• उवाच: said
• उवाच: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: वच् (धातु)
• Form: लिट् (Perfect), प्रथमपुरुष, एकवचन; परस्मैपद

• रणे: in battle
• रणे: Adhikarana (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: रण (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, सप्तमी (7th), एकवचन

• न: not
• न: Sambandha/Particle (सम्बन्ध/निपात)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: न (अव्यय)
• Form: निषेधार्थक अव्यय (negation particle)

• शक्यते: is possible
• शक्यते: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: शक् (धातु)
• Form: लट् (Present), प्रथमपुरुष, एकवचन; आत्मनेपद; कर्मणि प्रयोग (passive)

• हन्तुम्: to kill
• हन्तुम्: Kriya-artha (Purpose/क्रियार्थ)
• Type: Verb
• Root: हन् (धातु)
• Form: तुमुन्-प्रत्ययान्त (infinitive), क्रियार्थक अव्ययवत्

• अपि: even/also
• अपि: Sambandha/Particle (सम्बन्ध/निपात)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: अपि (अव्यय)
• Form: समुच्चय/अप्यर्थक अव्यय (also/even)

• देववरैः: by the best of the gods
• देववरैः: Karana (Instrument/करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: देव + वर (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, तृतीया (3rd), बहुवचन; षष्ठी-तत्पुरुषः (देवानां वराः)

• अपि: even/also
• अपि: Sambandha/Particle (सम्बन्ध/निपात)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: अपि (अव्यय)
• Form: समुच्चय/अप्यर्थक अव्यय (also/even)

• तस्मात्: therefore
• तस्मात्: Hetu (Cause/हेतु)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: तद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: तस्मात्-रूपेण हेत्वर्थक अव्यय (therefore/from that reason)

• त्वया: by you
• त्वया: Karta (Agent/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: युष्मद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: उत्तमपुरुष-सर्वनाम, तृतीया (3rd), एकवचन

• हि: indeed
• हि: Sambandha/Particle (सम्बन्ध/निपात)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: हि (अव्यय)
• Form: निपात (emphatic/indeed)

• कर्तव्यम्: must be done
• कर्तव्यम्: Kriya (Obligation/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: कृ (धातु)
• Form: कृत्य-प्रत्ययान्त (कर्तव्य), नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया, एकवचन; विधेय (to be done)

• कुत्सितम्: reprehensible
• कुत्सितम्: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: कुत्सित (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd), एकवचन; विशेषण (karma-विशेषण)

• कर्म: act/deed
• कर्म: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: कर्मन् (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd), एकवचन

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

• अद्य: today/now
• अद्य: Kala (Time/काल)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: अद्य (अव्यय)
• Form: कालवाचक अव्यय (adverb of time)

• वै: indeed/surely
• वै: Sambandha/Particle (सम्बन्ध/निपात)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: वै (अव्यय)
• Form: निपात (emphasis/assurance)

Speaker

Rudra (Śiva)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Kedāra (Kedārakṣetra)

Type: kshetra

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: Indra (Mahendra/Śakra)

Visual Art Cues

Scene: Rudra/Śambhu, austere and luminous, instructs Indra amid a tense war-council: the enemy is unslayable by direct combat; a morally fraught stratagem is advised.

Characters & Entities

• Rudra (Śiva)
• Indra
• Devas

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Some karmic knots cannot be cut by force alone; resolving them may involve difficult, morally complex choices under divine guidance.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

The Kedāra sacred narrative frame is present, but the verse focuses on the ethical-strategic dimension of the story.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

No ritual is prescribed here; it foreshadows a specific ‘upāya’ to be explained next.