Skanda Purana — Prabhasa Khanda, Shloka 162

Devanagari script

बलिदेहेऽधिकान्दृष्ट्वा दैत्येभ्यो विनिवेदिताः । बलिर्गुणाधिको दैत्याः कथं कार्यं भवेन्मया

Transliteration

balidehe'dhikāndṛṣṭvā daityebhyo viniveditāḥ | balirguṇādhiko daityāḥ kathaṃ kāryaṃ bhavenmayā

Translation

Voyant en la personne de Bali des qualités supérieures, il en fit rapport aux Daitya : «Bali surpasse tous par ses vertus. Ô Daitya, que dois-je faire à présent ?»

Word by Word

• बलिदेहे: in Bali’s person/body
• बलिदेहे: Adhikaraṇa (Locus/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: बलि (प्रातिपदिक) + देह (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुल्लिङ्ग, सप्तमी (7th/अधिकरण), एकवचन; तत्पुरुषः (षष्ठी-तत्पुरुष: ‘बलेः देहः’ = ‘Bali’s body/person’)

• अधिकान्: greater, superior
• अधिकान्: Karma (Object qualifier/कर्मविशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: अधिक (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुल्लिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd), बहुवचन; विशेषणम् (गुणान्/गुणान् इति अध्याहार्य)

• दृष्ट्वा: having seen
• दृष्ट्वा: Pūrvakāla-kriyā (Prior action/पूर्वकालक्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: √दृश् (धातु)
• Form: कृदन्त (क्त्वान्त/अव्ययभाव gerund): ‘having seen’

• दैत्येभ्यः: from the Daityas
• दैत्येभ्यः: Apādāna (Source/अपादान)
• Type: Noun
• Root: दैत्य (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुल्लिङ्ग, पञ्चमी (5th/अपादान), बहुवचन

• विनिवेदिताः: were reported/informed
• विनिवेदिताः: Kriyā (Predicate/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: √विद्/√वेद् (धातु) + नि + वि (उपसर्ग)
• Form: कृदन्त (भूतकर्मणि/कर्मणि क्त-प्रत्ययान्त): ‘वि+नि+वेदित’ = ‘reported/informed’; पुल्लिङ्ग, प्रथमा, बहुवचन (कर्तृ-सम्बन्धे—‘they were informed/they reported’)

• बलिः: Bali
• बलिः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: बलि (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुल्लिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st), एकवचन

• गुणाधिकः: superior in qualities
• गुणाधिकः: Karta-predicative (Subject complement/विधेय)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: गुण (प्रातिपदिक) + अधिक (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुल्लिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st), एकवचन; तत्पुरुषः (उपपद-तत्पुरुष: ‘गुणेषु अधिकः’ = ‘superior in qualities’); विधेय-विशेषणम् (बलि-विशेषण)

• दैत्याः: O Daityas
• दैत्याः: Sambodhana (Address/सम्बोधन)
• Type: Noun
• Root: दैत्य (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुल्लिङ्ग, सम्बोधन (Vocative), बहुवचन

• कथम्: how?
• कथम्: Kriyāviśeṣaṇa (Interrogative adverb/प्रश्न)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: कथम् (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय (प्रश्नार्थक adverb: ‘how?’)

• कार्यम्: what should be done
• कार्यम्: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: कार्य (प्रातिपदिक; √कृ + यत्)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st), एकवचन; भाववाचक/कर्तव्यवाचक (thing to be done)

• भवेत्: should be
• भवेत्: Kriyā (Predicate/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: √भू (धातु)
• Form: विधिलिङ् (Optative), परस्मैपद; प्रथमपुरुष, एकवचन

• मया: by me
• मया: Kartr̥ (Agent/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: अस्मद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: सर्वनाम, तृतीया (3rd/करण), एकवचन

Speaker

Śukra (Śukrācārya) (most likely; reporting his assessment to the Daityas)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Vastrāpatha-kṣetra

Type: kshetra

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A daitya emissary or minister, having observed Bali’s superior qualities, addresses an assembly of Daityas with concern and strategic urgency.

Characters & Entities

• Bali
• Daityas
• Śukra (implied as evaluator)

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Right leadership is rooted in recognized virtue, and wise counsel seeks proper procedure before enthroning power.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

The verse is embedded in the Vastrāpatha-kṣetra Māhātmya of Prabhāsa-khaṇḍa; the immediate content concerns Bali’s qualification for kingship.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

No direct prescription; it implies the next step would be formal acceptance and consecration according to dharmic procedure.