तपसैव यथा पूर्वं स्रष्टा विश्वमिदं भवान् ॥१८॥
tapa Ätiá¹£á¹ha bhadraá¹ te
sarva-bhÅ«ta-sukhÄvaham
tapasaiva yathÄ pÅ«rvaá¹
sraá¹£á¹Ä viÅ›vam idaá¹ bhavÄn
tapaḥ - penance; Ätiá¹£á¹ha - be situated; bhadram - auspicious; te - unto you; sarva - all; bhÅ«ta - living entities; sukha-Ävaham - bringing happiness; tapasÄ - by penance; eva - only; yathÄ - as much as; pÅ«rvam - before; sraá¹£á¹Ä - will create; viÅ›vam - the universe; idam - this; bhavÄn - yourself.
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.
In the creation, maintenance and dissolution of the cosmic manifestation, the three deities BrahmÄ, Viṣṇu and MaheÅ›vara, or Åšiva, 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.
