Skanda Purana — Prabhasa Khanda, Shloka 79

Devanagari script

देवैः कृतं विप्रियं ते किंचित्पश्याम्यहं बले । त्वया संपूज्यमानोऽपि देवराजो न तुष्यति

Transliteration

devaiḥ kṛtaṃ vipriyaṃ te kiṃcitpaśyāmyahaṃ bale | tvayā saṃpūjyamāno'pi devarājo na tuṣyati

Translation

ഓ ബലി, ദേവന്മാർ നിനക്കു എന്തോ അപ്രീതികരമായതു ചെയ്തതായി ഞാൻ കാണുന്നു. നീ യഥാവിധി പൂജിച്ചാലും ദേവരാജൻ ഇന്ദ്രൻ തൃപ്തനാകുന്നില്ല।

Word by Word

• devaiḥ: by the gods
• devaiḥ: Karaṇa (Instrument/करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: deva (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, तृतीया (3rd/Instrumental), बहुवचन

• kṛtam: done, made
• kṛtam: Samānādhikaraṇa (Apposition/समानााधिकरण)
• Type: Verb
• Root: kṛ (धातु)
• Form: कृदन्त (क्त-प्रत्यय, past passive participle), नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), एकवचन

• vipriyam: something displeasing
• vipriyam: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: vipriya (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), एकवचन

• te: to you
• te: Sampradāna (Recipient/सम्प्रदान)
• Type: Noun
• Root: tvad (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: चतुर्थी (4th/Dative), एकवचन

• kiṃcit: something, a little
• kiṃcit: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: kiṃcit (अव्यय/सर्वनाम-नपुंसक)
• Form: अव्ययवत् प्रयोग (indefinite particle)

• paśyāmi: I see
• paśyāmi: Kriyā (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: dṛś (धातु)
• Form: लट् (Present), उत्तमपुरुष (1st person), एकवचन

• aham: I
• aham: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: asmad (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: उत्तमपुरुष-सर्वनाम, प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), एकवचन

• bale: O Bali
• bale: Sambodhana (Address/सम्बोधन)
• Type: Noun
• Root: bali (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, सम्बोधन (8th/Vocative), एकवचन

• tvayā: by you
• tvayā: Karaṇa (Instrument/करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: tvad (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: तृतीया (3rd/Instrumental), एकवचन

• saṃpūjyamānaḥ: being duly worshipped
• saṃpūjyamānaḥ: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Verb
• Root: sam + pūj (धातु)
• Form: कृदन्त (शानच्-प्रत्यय, वर्तमानकाले कर्मणि/आत्मनेपद-भावे; present passive participle), पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), एकवचन

• api: even/although
• api: Sambandha (Sentence particle/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: api (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय, अपि-कार (concessive particle)

• devarājaḥ: king of the gods (Indra)
• devarājaḥ: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: deva (प्रातिपदिक) + rāja (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), एकवचन; षष्ठी-तत्पुरुष (देवानां राजा = king of the gods)

• na: not
• na: Sambandha (Sentence particle/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: na (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय, निषेध (negation particle)

• tuṣyati: is pleased
• tuṣyati: Kriyā (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: tuṣ (धातु)
• Form: लट् (Present), प्रथमपुरुष (3rd person), एकवचन

Speaker

Nārada (deduced from immediate context; Bali speaks at 83 and Nārada replies at 84)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Vastrāpatha-kṣetra

Type: kshetra

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A divine figure warns Bali: the gods have acted against him; Indra remains unsatisfied despite Bali’s honors—an atmosphere of uneasy counsel.

Characters & Entities

• Bali
• Devas
• Indra (Devarāja)

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Outer honor alone does not guarantee harmony; motives and unseen divine intentions can shape outcomes in Purāṇic dharma.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

The broader setting is the Vastrāpatha-kṣetra Māhātmya within Prabhāsa-kṣetra, though this verse itself focuses on the political-spiritual tension with the Devas.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

None explicitly; it alludes to proper worship/pujā (saṃpūjā) offered to the king of the gods.