Skanda Purana — Prabhasa Khanda, Shloka 22

Devanagari script

यथामृतकलाश्चन्द्राद्भुज्यन्ते क्रमशः सुरैः । एवं भागं बलेः कस्मान्न ददाति जलात्मकः

Transliteration

yathāmṛtakalāścandrādbhujyante kramaśaḥ suraiḥ | evaṃ bhāgaṃ baleḥ kasmānna dadāti jalātmakaḥ

Translation

Wie die Götter der Reihe nach die Anteile des Amṛta vom Mond genießen—warum gewährt der von wässriger Natur Seiende Bali nicht ebenso seinen rechtmäßigen Anteil?

Word by Word

• यथा: just as
• यथा: Sambandha (Comparison/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: yathā (अव्यय)
• Form: उपमानार्थक-अव्यय (comparative adverb: 'as/just as')

• अमृतकलाः: portions/digits of nectar
• अमृतकलाः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: अमृत (प्रातिपदिक) + कला (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग (Feminine), प्रथमा-विभक्ति (Nominative), बहुवचन (Plural)

• चन्द्रात्: from the moon
• चन्द्रात्: Apadana (Source/अपादान)
• Type: Noun
• Root: चन्द्र (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग (Masculine), पञ्चमी-विभक्ति (Ablative), एकवचन (Singular)

• भुज्यन्ते: are enjoyed/consumed
• भुज्यन्ते: Kriya (Verb/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: भुज् (धातु)
• Form: लट्-लकार (Present), प्रथम-पुरुष (3rd), बहुवचन (Plural), आत्मनेपद; कर्मणि-प्रयोग (passive)

• क्रमशः: gradually, in sequence
• क्रमशः: Sambandha (Adverbial/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: kramaśas (अव्यय)
• Form: क्रियाविशेषण-अव्यय (adverb: 'in order/gradually')

• सुरैः: by the gods
• सुरैः: Karana (Agent in passive/करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: सुर (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग (Masculine), तृतीया-विभक्ति (Instrumental), बहुवचन (Plural)

• एवम्: thus
• एवम्: Sambandha (Manner/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: evam (अव्यय)
• Form: प्रकारार्थक-अव्यय (adverb: 'thus/in this way')

• भागम्: share, portion
• भागम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: भाग (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग (Masculine), द्वितीया-विभक्ति (Accusative), एकवचन (Singular)

• बलेः: of Bali
• बलेः: Sambandha (Possessor/षष्ठी)
• Type: Noun
• Root: बलि (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग (Masculine), षष्ठी-विभक्ति (Genitive), एकवचन (Singular)

• कस्मात्: from what cause? why?
• कस्मात्: Hetu (Reason/हेतु)
• Type: Noun
• Root: किम् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: सर्वनाम (Interrogative pronoun), नपुंसकलिङ्ग (Neuter), पञ्चमी-विभक्ति (Ablative), एकवचन (Singular)

• न: not
• न: Sambandha (Negation/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: na (अव्यय)
• Form: निषेधार्थक-अव्यय (negative particle)

• ददाति: gives
• ददाति: Kriya (Verb/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: दा (धातु)
• Form: लट्-लकार (Present), प्रथम-पुरुष (3rd), एकवचन (Singular), परस्मैपद

• जलात्मकः: one whose nature is water (watery)
• जलात्मकः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: जल (प्रातिपदिक) + आत्मन् (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग (Masculine), प्रथमा-विभक्ति (Nominative), एकवचन (Singular); बहुव्रीहिः—'जलम् आत्मा यस्य'

Speaker

Unspecified (contextual speaker within the Vastrāpathakṣetra-māhātmya narrative)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Vastrāpatha-kṣetra (Prabhāsa)

Type: kshetra

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A contemplative comparison: gods receive nectar portions from the Moon in due order; the speaker questions why the ‘watery one’ (ocean/Varuṇa-like principle) does not grant Bali his share.

Characters & Entities

• Candra (Moon)
• Suras (gods)
• Bali
• Jalātmaka (watery one)

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Dharma includes rightful allotment; cosmic resources are meant to be shared according to ordained order, not withheld.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

The verse belongs to the Vastrāpathakṣetra Māhātmya within Prabhāsa Khaṇḍa, a sacred-place glorification framed through cosmic analogies.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

No explicit ritual is mentioned in this verse.