Skanda Purana — Mahesvara Khanda, Shloka 189

Devanagari script

उटजार्थे च मे देहि भूमीं भूमिभृतांवर । बटोस्तस्यैव तद्वाक्यं श्रुत्वा बलिरभाषत

Transliteration

uṭajārthe ca me dehi bhūmīṃ bhūmibhṛtāṃvara | baṭostasyaiva tadvākyaṃ śrutvā balirabhāṣata

Translation

«Accorde-moi une terre pour y établir un ermitage, ô le meilleur des rois.» Ayant entendu ces paroles mêmes du jeune brahmacārin, Bali répondit.

Word by Word

• उटज-अर्थे: for (building) a hut
• उटज-अर्थे: Prayojana/Adhikarana (Purpose/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: उटज (प्रातिपदिक) + अर्थ (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: चतुर्थी-तत्पुरुष/प्रयोजनवाचक (उटजस्य अर्थः), पुल्लिङ्ग, सप्तमी-विभक्ति, एकवचन; locative singular ‘for the purpose of a hut’

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

• मे: to me
• मे: Sampradana (Recipient/सम्प्रदान)
• Type: Noun
• Root: अस्मद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: चतुर्थी/षष्ठी-विभक्ति, एकवचन; dative/genitive singular ‘to me/my’ (here dative)

• देहि: give
• देहि: Kriya (Verb/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: दा (धातु)
• Form: लोट्-लकार (आज्ञार्थ), मध्यमपुरुष, एकवचन; imperative 2nd sg

• भूमिम्: land, ground
• भूमिम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: भूमि (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति, एकवचन; accusative singular

• भूमि-भृताम्: of the kings (earth-bearers)
• भूमि-भृताम्: Sambandha (Genitive/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: भूमि (प्रातिपदिक) + भृत् (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: षष्ठी-तत्पुरुष (भूमेः भृतः ‘earth-bearers’), पुल्लिङ्ग, षष्ठी-विभक्ति, बहुवचन; genitive plural

• वर: O best (of kings)
• वर: Sambodhana (Address/सम्बोधन)
• Type: Noun
• Root: वर (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुल्लिङ्ग, सम्बोधन-विभक्ति, एकवचन; vocative singular (used as honorific)

• बटोः: of the boy (brahmacārin)
• बटोः: Sambandha (Genitive/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: बटु (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुल्लिङ्ग, षष्ठी-विभक्ति, एकवचन; genitive singular

• तस्य: of him
• तस्य: Sambandha (Genitive/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: तद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुल्लिङ्ग/नपुंसकलिङ्ग, षष्ठी-विभक्ति, एकवचन; genitive singular

• एव: indeed
• एव: Avyaya (Particle)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: एव (अव्यय)
• Form: निपात (emphasis)

• तत्: that
• तत्: Visheshana (Adjective/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: तद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति, एकवचन; accusative singular, qualifies वाक्यम्

• वाक्यम्: statement, words
• वाक्यम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: वाक्य (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति, एकवचन; accusative singular

• श्रुत्वा: having heard
• श्रुत्वा: Purvakala (Prior action)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: श्रु (धातु) + त्वा (क्त्वा)
• Form: क्त्वान्त-अव्यय (absolutive/gerund)

• बलिः: Bali
• बलिः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: बलि (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुल्लिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन; nominative singular

• अभाषत: spoke
• अभाषत: Kriya (Verb/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: भाष् (धातु) + अ (उपसर्ग)
• Form: लङ्-लकार (अनद्यतनभूत), प्रथमपुरुष, एकवचन; imperfect 3rd sg

Speaker

Narrator (Sūta/Lomaharṣaṇa) introducing the dialogue; Bali responds

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Kedāra (Kedārakṣetra)

Type: kshetra

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A brahmacārin boy asks the king for a small plot of land to build a hermitage; the king (Bali) begins to reply, with ministers and priests watching—an atmosphere of impending dharma-test.

Characters & Entities

• Vāmana
• Bali

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

A righteous ruler honors sincere requests for dharmic living—here, land for an ascetic hut—setting the stage for dāna as a sacred act.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

The broader chapter belongs to the Kedārakhaṇḍa, connected to Kedāra-kṣetra’s sacred narrative setting, though this verse itself focuses on the Vāmana–Bali episode.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

No explicit rite is prescribed; the theme is dāna—granting land as a meritorious gift.