Skanda Purana — Mahesvara Khanda, Shloka 30
दातव्यं तत्पदं विष्णोस्तृतीयं यत्प्रतिश्रुतम् । न ददासि कथं वीर निरयेच पतिष्यसि
dātavyaṃ tatpadaṃ viṣṇostṛtīyaṃ yatpratiśrutam | na dadāsi kathaṃ vīra nirayeca patiṣyasi
Du musst Viṣṇu den dritten Schritt geben, den du ihm zugesagt hast. Gibst du ihn nicht, wie kannst du ein Held heißen? Auch du wirst in die Hölle stürzen.
Garuḍa
Tirtha: Kedāra-kṣetra (frame)
Type: kshetra
Listener: Pilgrimage-audience / interlocutor in Kedāra narrative frame (unspecified here)
Scene: In the sacrificial hall, Vāmana’s demand for the ‘third step’ is invoked; Bali is admonished that true heroism is vow-keeping, with the shadow of hell as consequence.
FAQs
Promise-keeping is a pillar of dharma; failing to honor pledged charity leads to moral and karmic downfall.
The Kedārakhaṇḍa setting uses the Bali narrative to teach dharma to devotees visiting the Himalayan tīrthas.
Fulfilling vowed dāna—specifically completing what was promised (pratiśruti) without reduction.