Skanda Purana — Mahesvara Khanda, Shloka 55
भगवानुवाच । बले त्वं सुतलं याहि ज्ञातिसंबंधिभिर्वृतः । एवमुक्तस्तदा तेन असुरो वाक्यब्रवीत्
bhagavānuvāca | bale tvaṃ sutalaṃ yāhi jñātisaṃbaṃdhibhirvṛtaḥ | evamuktastadā tena asuro vākyabravīt
ഭഗവാൻ അരുളിച്ചെയ്തു—ഹേ ബലി, ജ്ഞാതി‑ബന്ധുക്കളാൽ ചുറ്റപ്പെട്ട് സുതലത്തിലേക്ക് പോകുക. ഇങ്ങനെ അവൻ പറഞ്ഞപ്പോൾ ആ അസുരൻ മറുപടിയായി വചനം പറഞ്ഞു.
Bhagavān (Viṣṇu, addressed as Trivikrama/Hṛṣīkeśa in nearby verses)
Listener: Bali
Scene: Viṣṇu (as Bhagavān) addresses Bali with calm authority, instructing him to proceed to Sutala, while Bali stands with folded hands amid Asura kinsmen; the moment is poised between judgment and mercy.
FAQs
The Lord’s command is itself a blessing—placing the devotee in a protected, ordained station.
Sutala is mentioned as a realm (loka), not a pilgrimage tīrtha; no Kedāra site is named in this verse.
None; it is a divine directive within the narrative.