Skanda Purana — Prabhasa Khanda, Shloka 16
यदा ते तामसैः कार्यं तदा रौद्रो भव स्वयम् । यदा ते राजसैः कार्यं तदा त्वं राजसो भव । सात्त्विकैस्ते यदा कार्यं तदा त्वं सात्त्विको भव
yadā te tāmasaiḥ kāryaṃ tadā raudro bhava svayam | yadā te rājasaiḥ kāryaṃ tadā tvaṃ rājaso bhava | sāttvikaiste yadā kāryaṃ tadā tvaṃ sāttviko bhava
“เมื่อกิจของท่านต้องอาศัยตมัส ก็จงเป็นราวทร—ดุเดือด—ด้วยตนเอง; เมื่อกิจต้องอาศัยรชัส ก็จงเป็นผู้มีรชัส; และเมื่อกิจต้องอาศัยสัตตวะ ก็จงเป็นผู้มีสัตตวะ”
Īśvara (Śiva) (deduced from immediate narrative flow into the next verse’s “īśvara uvāca”)
Tirtha: Vastrāpatha-kṣetra
Type: kshetra
Listener: Brahmā’s addressee is implied as the cosmic agent executing tasks (often Rudra/Īśvara in the narrative logic)
Scene: A triptych of Rudra’s controlled transformations: raudra (dark, fierce), rajasa (red, dynamic), sāttvika (white-gold, serene), each invoked for a specific task, showing deliberate self-command.
FAQs
Dharma may require different modes of action; one should consciously adopt the needed guṇa without losing higher purpose.
The broader context is the Vastrāpatha-kṣetra within Prabhāsa Khaṇḍa, though this verse itself is a doctrinal instruction rather than direct site-praise.
None explicitly; it is an ethical teaching about appropriate conduct (guṇa-based suitability) in fulfilling duty.