Skanda Purana — Prabhasa Khanda, Shloka 13

Devanagari script

रुद्र उवाच । सृष्टिर्मया न कर्त्तव्या कर्त्तव्या भवता स्वयम् । पालनं विष्णुना कार्यं संहर्ताऽहं व्यवस्थितः

Transliteration

rudra uvāca | sṛṣṭirmayā na karttavyā karttavyā bhavatā svayam | pālanaṃ viṣṇunā kāryaṃ saṃhartā'haṃ vyavasthitaḥ

Translation

รุทราตรัสว่า “การสร้างมิใช่หน้าที่ของเรา ท่านจงกระทำเองเถิด การอภิบาลเป็นหน้าที่ของพระวิษณุ ส่วนเราดำรงอยู่เพื่อการทำลายล้าง”

Word by Word

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

• उवाच: said
• उवाच: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: वच् (धातु)
• Form: लिट्-लकार (Perfect), प्रथम-पुरुष (3rd person), एकवचन; परस्मैपद

• सृष्टिः: creation
• सृष्टिः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: सृष्टि (प्रातिपदिक; √सृज्-धातुज)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन

• मया: by me
• मया: Karana (Instrument/करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: अस्मद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: उत्तम-पुरुष-सर्वनाम, तृतीया-विभक्ति (Instrumental/3rd), एकवचन

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

• कर्तव्या: to be done / should be done
• कर्तव्या: Kriya (Obligation/क्रिया-भाव)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: कृ (धातु) + तव्य (कृत्-प्रत्यय)
• Form: तव्यत्-कृदन्त (gerundive/obligatory), स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन; विधेय-विशेषण (predicative)

• कर्तव्या: to be done
• कर्तव्या: Kriya (Obligation/क्रिया-भाव)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: कृ (धातु) + तव्य (कृत्-प्रत्यय)
• Form: तव्यत्-कृदन्त, स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन; विधेय-विशेषण

• भवता: by you
• भवता: Karana (Agent-instrument/करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: भवत् (प्रातिपदिक; आदरार्थ-प्रोनाउन)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, तृतीया-विभक्ति, एकवचन

• स्वयम्: oneself
• स्वयम्: Sambandha (Adverbial/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: स्वयम् (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; आत्मार्थक-क्रियाविशेषण (adverb: oneself)

• पालनम्: protection, maintenance
• पालनम्: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: पालन (प्रातिपदिक; √पाल्-धातुज)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन

• विष्णुना: by Viṣṇu
• विष्णुना: Karana (Agent-instrument/करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: विष्णु (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, तृतीया-विभक्ति, एकवचन

• कार्यम्: to be done / should be done
• कार्यम्: Kriya (Obligation/क्रिया-भाव)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: कृ (धातु) + यत् (कृत्-प्रत्यय)
• Form: यत्-कृदन्त (gerundive), नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन; विधेय-विशेषण

• संहर्ता: destroyer
• संहर्ता: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: सम्-हृ (धातु) + तृ (कृत्-प्रत्यय)
• Form: तृ-कृदन्त (agent noun), पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन

• अहम्: I
• अहम्: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: अस्मद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: उत्तम-पुरुष-सर्वनाम, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन

• व्यवस्थितः: appointed, stationed
• व्यवस्थितः: Kriya (State/भाव)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: वि-अव-स्था (धातु) + क्त (कृत्-प्रत्यय)
• Form: क्त-कृदन्त (past passive participle), पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन; विधेय-विशेषण

Speaker

Rudra

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Vastrāpatha-kṣetra

Type: kshetra

Visual Art Cues

Scene: Rudra speaks firmly yet calmly to Brahmā: ‘I do not create; you create. Viṣṇu preserves; I am established as destroyer.’ The scene is a divine council—Brahmā attentive, Rudra composed, Viṣṇu implied or shown in the background as preserver.

Characters & Entities

• Rudra
• Brahmā
• Viṣṇu

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Dharma includes accepting one’s appointed role; cosmic harmony arises when each divine function is honored.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

The teaching is embedded in the Vastrāpatha-kṣetra māhātmya of Prabhāsa, where divine order is narrated as part of the kṣetra’s sacred greatness.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

None; it is doctrinal, defining the functions of Brahmā, Viṣṇu, and Rudra.