SB 3.12.18 · Srimad-Bhagavatam

Devanagari

तप आतिष्ठ भद्रं ते सर्वभूतसुखावहम् । तपसैव यथापूर्व स्रष्टा विश्वमिदं भवान् ॥ १८ ॥

Verse text

tapa ātiṣṭha bhadraṁ te sarva-bhūta-sukhāvaham tapasaiva yathā pūrvaṁ sraṣṭā viśvam idaṁ bhavān

Synonyms

tapaḥ — penance ; ātiṣṭha — be situated ; bhadram — auspicious ; te — unto you ; sarva — all ; bhūta — living entities ; sukha — āvaham — bringing happiness ; tapasā — by penance ; eva — only ; yathā — as much as ; pūrvam — before ; sraṣṭā — will create ; viśvam — the universe ; idam — this ; bhavān — yourself .

Translation

My dear son, you had better situate yourself in penance, which is auspicious for all living entities and which will bring all benediction upon you. By penance only shall you be able to create the universe as it was before.

Translation (Visvanatha Cakravarti Thakura)

Become situated in austerity, which is auspicious for you, giving happiness to all living beings, just as previously you created the universe. Such destructive activities of Śiva are not beneficial at the time of creation and maintenance of the universe. Thus he should engage in austerity which will produce opposite results, creation, as previously. Normally one would say, “Just as you destroyed the universe at the end of the previous kalpa, so afterwards you will also destroy it.” Some persons explain that in some kalpas, Śiva acts as Brahmā and also creates. Others say that the statement means that the Lord identifies himself as being one with Śiva as he says in the following verse: sṛjāmi tapasaivedaṁ grasāmi tapasā punaḥ bibharmi tapasā viśvaṁ vīryaṁ me duścaraṁ tapaḥ By austerity I create, destroy and maintain the universe again and again. My power arises from intense austerity. SB 2.9.23

Purport

In the creation, maintenance and dissolution of the cosmic manifestation, the three deities Brahmā, Viṣṇu and Maheśvara, or Śiva, are respectively in charge. Rudra was advised not to destroy while the period of creation and maintenance was going on, but to situate himself in penance and wait for the time of dissolution, when his services would be called for.