Skanda Purana — Prabhasa Khanda, Shloka 4
तच्छ्रुत्वा वचनं विप्रो बलिं प्रोवाच सत्वरम् । यज्वनां त्वं वरिष्ठश्च दातॄणां त्वं मतोऽधिकः
tacchrutvā vacanaṃ vipro baliṃ provāca satvaram | yajvanāṃ tvaṃ variṣṭhaśca dātṝṇāṃ tvaṃ mato'dhikaḥ
वे वचन सुनकर उस ब्राह्मण ने शीघ्र ही बलि से कहा—“यज्ञ करने वालों में तुम श्रेष्ठ हो और दान देने वालों में तुम सर्वाधिक माने जाते हो।”
Durvāsas (the Brahmin; consistent with prior mention of Durvāsas and ‘vipra’ addressing Bali)
Tirtha: Dvārakā (frame)
Type: kshetra
Listener: Sages/assembly (implicit)
Scene: The Brahmin-sage swiftly approaches Bali and praises him as the foremost sacrificer and greatest giver; Bali appears as a regal donor-king, hands poised for granting, surrounded by attendants and ritual implements.
FAQs
True greatness is measured by yajña (sacrifice) and dāna (generosity); praise here frames Bali as a dharmic exemplar.
The Dvārakā-māhātmya context continues, tying moral exemplars to the sacred narrative landscape.
Yajña and dāna are upheld as key dharmic practices, implicitly recommending generosity and sacrificial duty.