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
ആ വാക്കുകൾ കേട്ട് ബ്രാഹ്മണൻ ഉടൻ ബലിയോട് പറഞ്ഞു—“യജ്ഞം ചെയ്യുന്നവരിൽ നീ ശ്രേഷ്ഠൻ; ദാനം ചെയ്യുന്നവരിൽ നീ അത്യുത്തമനെന്നു കണക്കാക്കപ്പെടുന്നു.”
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.