Skanda Purana — Mahesvara Khanda, Shloka 20
पुण्यभांजि च तान्येव पतितानि च सागरे । तदा स विस्मयाविष्टो बलिराह गुरुं प्रति
puṇyabhāṃji ca tānyeva patitāni ca sāgare | tadā sa vismayāviṣṭo balirāha guruṃ prati
ആ പുണ്യപ്രദ രത്നങ്ങൾ തന്നെയായിരുന്നു അപ്പോൾ സമുദ്രത്തിൽ പതിച്ചത്; അതോടെ വിസ്മയാവിഷ്ടനായ ബലി തന്റെ ഗുരുവിനോട് പറഞ്ഞു।
Narrator (introducing Bali’s speech)
Scene: A storm-tossed ocean swallowing radiant jewels; silhouettes of Airāvata/Uccaiḥśravā and other ratnas slipping beneath waves; Bali, astonished, turns toward Śukra in a shadowed court.
FAQs
Even mighty rulers must turn to wise guidance when confronted with the unexpected; humility before a guru steadies the mind.
No tīrtha is directly praised in this verse; it continues the narrative within Kedārakhaṇḍa.
None; the verse transitions into a guru-consultation scene.