Skanda Purana — Prabhasa Khanda, Shloka 2

Devanagari script

पुष्करान्नैरृते भागे धनुर्विशतिभिः स्मृतम् । यदा बद्धो बलिर्देवि विष्णुना प्रभविष्णुना

Transliteration

puṣkarānnairṛte bhāge dhanurviśatibhiḥ smṛtam | yadā baddho balirdevi viṣṇunā prabhaviṣṇunā

Translation

يُقال إن الموضع يقع في الجهة الجنوبية الغربية من بوشكرا على بُعد عشرين «دهنو». يا ديفي، هناك قُيِّد بالي على يد فيشنو، الربّ القويّ الشامل لكل شيء.

Word by Word

• puṣkarāt: from Puṣkara
• puṣkarāt: Apadana (Source/अपादान)
• Type: Noun
• Root: puṣkara (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्गे, पञ्चमी-विभक्तिः (Ablative/5th), एकवचनम्

• nairṛte: in the southwestern
• nairṛte: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: nairṛta (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्गे, सप्तमी-विभक्तिः, एकवचनम्; bhāge इति पदस्य विशेषणम् (southwestern)

• bhāge: in the region/part
• bhāge: Adhikarana (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: bhāga (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्गे, सप्तमी-विभक्तिः, एकवचनम्

• dhanurviśatibhiḥ: by twenty bow-lengths
• dhanurviśatibhiḥ: Karana (Measure/करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: dhanus-viśati (प्रातिपदिक; धनुस् + विशति)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्गे, तृतीया-विभक्तिः (Instrumental/3rd), बहुवचनम्; परिमाणवाचकः (by twenty bow-lengths)

• smṛtam: is said/recorded
• smṛtam: Kriya (Predicative/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: smṛ (धातु)
• Form: क्त-प्रत्ययान्त कृदन्त (Past Passive Participle); नपुंसकलिङ्गे, प्रथमा/द्वितीया, एकवचनम्; ‘(it is) said/remembered’

• yadā: when
• yadā: Kala (Temporal/काल)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: yadā (अव्यय)
• Form: कालवाचक-अव्ययम् (when)

• baddhaḥ: bound
• baddhaḥ: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: bandh (धातु)
• Form: क्त-प्रत्ययान्त कृदन्त (PPP); पुंलिङ्गे, प्रथमा-विभक्तिः, एकवचनम्; baliḥ इति पदस्य विशेषणम्

• baliḥ: Bali
• baliḥ: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: bali (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्गे, प्रथमा-विभक्तिः, एकवचनम्

• devi: O goddess
• devi: Sambodhana (Address/सम्बोधन)
• Type: Noun
• Root: devī (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्गे, सम्बोधन-विभक्तिः, एकवचनम्

• viṣṇunā: by Viṣṇu
• viṣṇunā: Kartr̥ (Agent in passive/कर्तृ)
• Type: Noun
• Root: viṣṇu (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्गे, तृतीया-विभक्तिः, एकवचनम्

• prabhaviṣṇunā: by mighty Viṣṇu
• prabhaviṣṇunā: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: prabha-viṣṇu (प्रातिपदिक; प्रभ + विष्णु)
• Form: पुंलिङ्गे, तृतीया-विभक्तिः, एकवचनम्; viṣṇunā इति पदस्य विशेषणम्

Speaker

Śiva (Īśvara)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Bali-bandhana-sthāna (near Puṣkara; as described)

Type: kshetra

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: Devī (addressed as ‘devi’)

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A pilgrimage marker near Puṣkara: Viṣṇu as Vāmana stands before Bali; the moment of binding is implied, with the landscape measured ‘twenty dhanus’ to the south-west; the Goddess is addressed as witness.

Characters & Entities

• Puṣkara
• Vāmanasvāmi
• Bali
• Viṣṇu
• South-west (nairṛta)

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Sacred geography is anchored in divine acts; remembering Viṣṇu’s binding of Bali inspires humility and surrender to dharma.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

The Vāmanasvāmi (Viṣṇu) site near Puṣkara within Prabhāsa-kṣetra’s pilgrimage map.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

A directional instruction for pilgrims: the shrine is twenty dhanus to the south-west of Puṣkara.