Skanda Purana — Mahesvara Khanda, Shloka 39
देवा ऊचूः । बलिना सह पातालमास्तेऽसौ मधुसूदनः । विष्णुं विना हि ते सर्वे वृषाद्याः पतिताः परैः
devā ūcūḥ | balinā saha pātālamāste'sau madhusūdanaḥ | viṣṇuṃ vinā hi te sarve vṛṣādyāḥ patitāḥ paraiḥ
Les dieux dirent : « Ce Madhusūdana (Viṣṇu) demeure en Pātāla avec Bali. Sans Viṣṇu, en vérité, nous tous—à commencer par Vṛṣa—avons été terrassés par nos ennemis. »
Devas (addressing Brahmā)
Tirtha: Sutala/Pātāla (Bali’s realm) as mythic locus; Kedāra narrative backdrop
Type: kshetra
Scene: The devas, bruised and humbled, report to Brahmā: Viṣṇu resides in Pātāla with Bali; without him they have fallen to enemies. The scene contrasts the bright court with the implied shadow of the netherworld.
FAQs
Cosmic balance depends on divine cooperation; when dharma’s protectors are absent, hostile forces gain ground.
Not a tīrtha-focused verse; it references Pātāla as a cosmic realm while occurring within the Kedārakhaṇḍa narrative frame.
None.