Skanda Purana — Mahesvara Khanda, Shloka 149
प्रहस्यो वाच भगवान्भार्गवाणां महातपाः । बलिनं बालिशं मत्वा शुक्रो बुद्धिमतां वरः
prahasyo vāca bhagavānbhārgavāṇāṃ mahātapāḥ | balinaṃ bāliśaṃ matvā śukro buddhimatāṃ varaḥ
Sambil tersenyum, Śukra yang mulia—pertapa agung dan yang terunggul antara para Bhārgava—berkata, menganggap Bali, walau perkasa, masih polos dan mudah diperdaya.
Sūta (Lomaharṣaṇa) narrating; Śukra is the direct speaker within the story
Tirtha: Kedāra-kṣetra (frame)
Type: kshetra
Listener: Text’s frame listener; within story, Bali is the addressee about to be instructed
Scene: Śukra smiles gently, preparing to speak; he is portrayed as venerable, ascetic, and intellectually superior, while Bali stands powerful yet impressionable.
FAQs
Power without discernment is incomplete; true wisdom guides strength toward dharma.
This verse is narrative setup within Kedārakhaṇḍa; the explicit tīrtha praise appears in the surrounding Narmadā–tīrtha context later in the passage.
No direct ritual is prescribed in this verse; it introduces Śukra’s counsel that leads to sacrificial acts.