Skanda Purana — Brahma Khanda, Shloka 35

Devanagari script

दानवेश पिता ते हि ददौ लोकत्रयं हरेः । वाक्पाशबद्धः पाताले राज्यं चक्रे महीपतिः

Transliteration

dānaveśa pitā te hi dadau lokatrayaṃ hareḥ | vākpāśabaddhaḥ pātāle rājyaṃ cakre mahīpatiḥ

Translation

O Herr der Dānavas, dein Vater gab wahrlich die drei Welten, die Hari gehörten, dahin. Vom Strick seines eigenen Wortes gebunden, herrschte jener König in Pātāla.

Word by Word

• दानवेश: O lord of the Dānavas
• दानवेश: Sambodhana (Address/सम्बोधन)
• Type: Noun
• Root: दानवेश (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, सम्बोधन (8), एकवचन

• पिता: father
• पिता: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: पितृ (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1), एकवचन

• ते: your
• ते: Sambandha (Genitive/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: युष्मद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: षष्ठी (6), एकवचन (genitive: 'your')

• हि: indeed/for
• हि: Avyaya (Particle/निपात)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: हि (अव्यय)
• Form: निपात (reason/emphasis particle)

• ददौ: gave
• ददौ: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: दा (धातु)
• Form: लिट् (परोक्षभूत/परफेक्ट), प्रथमपुरुष, एकवचन, परस्मैपद

• लोकत्रयम्: the three worlds
• लोकत्रयम्: Karman (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: लोक-त्रय (प्रातिपदिक); लोक (प्रातिपदिक) + त्रय (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2), एकवचन

• हरेः: of Hari (Viṣṇu)
• हरेः: Sambandha (Genitive/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: हरि (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, षष्ठी (6), एकवचन

• वाक्पाशबद्धः: bound by a noose of words
• वाक्पाशबद्धः: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: वाक्-पाश-बद्ध (प्रातिपदिक); वाक् (प्रातिपदिक) + पाश (प्रातिपदिक) + बद्ध (कृदन्त/क्त)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1), एकवचन; ‘bound by the noose of speech/words’

• पाताले: in Pātāla (netherworld)
• पाताले: Adhikarana (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: पाताल (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, सप्तमी (7), एकवचन

• राज्यम्: kingdom/rule
• राज्यम्: Karman (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: राज्य (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2), एकवचन

• च: and
• च: Avyaya (Conjunction/समुच्चय)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: च (अव्यय)
• Form: समुच्चयबोधक अव्यय (conjunction)

• चक्रे: made/established
• चक्रे: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: कृ (धातु)
• Form: लिट् (परोक्षभूत/परफेक्ट), प्रथमपुरुष, एकवचन, आत्मनेपद

• महीपतिः: the king/lord of the earth
• महीपतिः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: मही-पति (प्रातिपदिक); मही (प्रातिपदिक) + पति (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1), एकवचन

Speaker

Brahmā (narrative admonition; inferred)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Pātāla (Bali-rājya)

Type: kshetra

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: Dānavendra (addressed as ‘Dānavēśa’)

Visual Art Cues

Scene: Trivikrama’s cosmic stride implied; Bali, bound by the ‘noose of his word’, stands resolute; the three worlds symbolized as spheres offered to Hari; Pātāla shown as a jeweled subterranean kingdom.

Characters & Entities

• Hari (Viṣṇu)
• Pātāla
• Dānaveśa
• Father of the Dānava (implied)

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

A vow or promise (vāk) binds even kings; truthfulness and integrity in giving (dāna) are upheld as dharma.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

No tīrtha is specified; the verse references Pātāla as a cosmological realm rather than a pilgrimage site.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

Dāna (giving) is alluded to, along with the dhārmic obligation to honor one’s pledged word.