Skanda Purana — Prabhasa Khanda, Shloka 11
न श्रोष्यति स चेद्वाक्यं निश्चितं तं शपाम्यहम् । इत्युक्त्वा स ययौ वेगान्नारदो बलिमंदिरे । निमेषांतरमात्रेण शिष्याभ्यां गगने स्थितः
na śroṣyati sa cedvākyaṃ niścitaṃ taṃ śapāmyaham | ityuktvā sa yayau vegānnārado balimaṃdire | nimeṣāṃtaramātreṇa śiṣyābhyāṃ gagane sthitaḥ
«S’il n’écoute pas mes paroles, je le maudirai à coup sûr !» Ayant ainsi parlé, Nārada se rendit en hâte au palais de Bali ; en l’espace d’un simple battement de paupières, il se tint dans le ciel avec ses deux disciples.
Narrator (likely Sūta/Lomaharṣaṇa conveying the account; contextual inference)
Tirtha: Vastrāpatha-kṣetra
Type: kshetra
Scene: Nārada streaks through the sky with two disciples, hovering above Bali’s palace, poised between counsel and curse; clouds part around them.
FAQs
The verse highlights the gravity of a sage’s speech and the moral weight of accepting wise counsel.
Indirectly, the episode belongs to the Vastrāpatha-kṣetra-māhātmya within Prabhāsa Khaṇḍa, anchoring the tale in that sacred geography.
None; it narrates Nārada’s swift arrival at Bali’s residence.