Skanda Purana — Mahesvara Khanda, Shloka 140

Devanagari script

गतस्ते कथिताः पूर्वं कश्यपस्याश्रमं शुभम् । तदा बलिरभूदिन्द्रो देवपुर्यां महायशाः

Transliteration

gataste kathitāḥ pūrvaṃ kaśyapasyāśramaṃ śubham | tadā balirabhūdindro devapuryāṃ mahāyaśāḥ

Translation

Wie zuvor berichtet, gingen sie zur glückverheißenden Āśrama des Kaśyapa; und damals wurde der ruhmreiche Bali in der Götterstadt zu Indra.

Word by Word

• गतः: gone
• गतः: Karta-samānādhikaraṇa (Predicate/समानााधिकरण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: गम् (धातु) + क्त (कृदन्त)
• Form: भूतकर्मणि कृदन्त (PPP), पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन — ‘gone’ (predicate)

• ते: you (all)
• ते: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: युष्मद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: द्वितीया/प्रथमा, बहुवचन (enclitic) — ‘you (pl.)’

• कथिताः: told; narrated
• कथिताः: Karta-samānādhikaraṇa (Predicate/समानााधिकरण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: कथ् (धातु) + क्त (कृदन्त)
• Form: भूतकर्मणि कृदन्त (PPP), पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, बहुवचन — ‘told/related’ (predicate of ते)

• पूर्वम्: previously; earlier
• पूर्वम्: Kriya-visheshana (Adverbial modifier/क्रियाविशेषण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: पूर्वम् (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय — कालवाचक क्रियाविशेषण (temporal adverb)

• कश्यपस्य: of Kaśyapa
• कश्यपस्य: Sambandha (Genitive relation/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: कश्यप (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, षष्ठी, एकवचन

• आश्रमम्: hermitage
• आश्रमम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: आश्रम (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया, एकवचन

• शुभम्: auspicious; splendid
• शुभम्: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: शुभ (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया, एकवचन — विशेषण (of आश्रमम्)

• तदा: then
• तदा: Kriya-visheshana (Adverbial modifier/क्रियाविशेषण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: तदा (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय — कालवाचक क्रियाविशेषण

• बलिः: Bali
• बलिः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: बलि (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन

• अभूत्: became; was
• अभूत्: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: भू (धातु)
• Form: लुङ्-लकार (Aorist), प्रथमपुरुष, एकवचन, परस्मैपद

• इन्द्रः: Indra (lord)
• इन्द्रः: Karta-samānādhikaraṇa (Predicate nominative/समानााधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: इन्द्र (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन — पदवी/उपाधि (predicate noun)

• देवपुर्याम्: in the city of the gods
• देवपुर्याम्: Adhikarana (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: देव + पुरी (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: षष्ठी-तत्पुरुष (देवानां पुरी); स्त्रीलिङ्ग, सप्तमी, एकवचन

• महायशाः: of great fame
• महायशाः: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: महा + यशस् (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: कर्मधारय; पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन — विशेषण (of बलिः)

Speaker

Sūta (Lomaharṣaṇa) addressing the sages (deduced)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Kaśyapa-āśrama (as dharma-kendra)

Type: kshetra

Visual Art Cues

Scene: The devas journey to Kaśyapa’s serene hermitage amid forest austerity; a contrasting scene shows Bali seated in Amarāvatī as ‘Indra’, signifying a dramatic reversal of cosmic roles.

Characters & Entities

• Bali
• Kaśyapa
• Devapurī
• Indra (office/title)

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Cosmic offices shift according to karma and time; even ‘Indra-hood’ is a role, not an eternal possession.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

No single tīrtha is praised in this verse; it situates the story within Kedāra-khaṇḍa’s sacred narrative frame.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

None explicitly; this verse is historical narration.