Skanda Purana — Nagara Khanda, Shloka 19

Devanagari script

अथोवाच बलिर्दैत्यः कृतांजलिपुटः स्थितः । ब्रह्माऽदि यल्लभेत्सर्वं यत्पुरस्तात्प्रजायते

Transliteration

athovāca balirdaityaḥ kṛtāṃjalipuṭaḥ sthitaḥ | brahmā'di yallabhetsarvaṃ yatpurastātprajāyate

Translation

Lalu Bali si daitya berkata, berdiri dengan kedua tangan dirapatkan penuh hormat: “Biarlah Brahmā dan yang lain menerima apa sahaja yang mula-mula muncul, apa yang lahir terlebih dahulu di hadapan.”

Word by Word

• atho: then
• atho: Adhikaraṇa (Discourse marker/अधिकरण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: atha + u (अव्यय-सन्धि)
• Form: अव्यय — ‘atha’ इत्यस्य उकारादेशेन संधिः; अर्थः ‘then’

• uvāca: said
• uvāca: Kriyā (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: vac (वच् धातु)
• Form: लिट् (Perfect), परस्मैपद, प्रथमपुरुष, एकवचन — ‘he said’

• baliḥ: Bali
• baliḥ: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: bali (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st), एकवचन — कर्ता

• daityaḥ: the Daitya (demon)
• daityaḥ: Samānādhikaraṇa (Apposition/समानाधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: daitya (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st), एकवचन — apposition (baliḥ इति)

• kṛta-aṃjali-puṭaḥ: with folded hands
• kṛta-aṃjali-puṭaḥ: Viśeṣaṇa (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: kṛta (कृ धातोः क्त-प्रत्ययान्त) + aṃjali (प्रातिपदिक) + puṭa (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st), एकवचन — ‘कृतः अञ्जलि-पुटः येन’ (with hands joined in añjali)

• sthitaḥ: standing
• sthitaḥ: Kriyā (State/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: sthā (स्था धातु)
• Form: क्त-प्रत्ययान्त (past participle), पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st), एकवचन — ‘standing/remaining’

• brahmā-ādi: Brahmā and others
• brahmā-ādi: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: brahmā (प्रातिपदिक) + ādi (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया (contextual), एकवचन — ‘ब्रह्मा आदिः’ (Brahmā and others; ādi-शब्दः समाहारार्थे)

• yat: whatever (that which)
• yat: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: yad (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd), एकवचन — सम्बन्धबोधक (relative pronoun)

• labhet: may obtain
• labhet: Kriyā (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: labh (लभ् धातु)
• Form: विधिलिङ् (Optative), आत्मनेपद, प्रथमपुरुष, एकवचन — ‘may obtain’

• sarvam: everything
• sarvam: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: sarva (सर्व-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd), एकवचन — ‘everything’

• yat: whatever (that which)
• yat: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: yad (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st)/द्वितीया (contextual), एकवचन — सम्बन्धबोधक (relative)

• purastāt: before; in front
• purastāt: Adhikaraṇa (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: purastāt (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय (देश/कालवाचक क्रियाविशेषण) — ‘in front; beforehand’

• prajāyate: arises; is produced
• prajāyate: Kriyā (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: pra-jan (जन् धातु)
• Form: लट् (Present), आत्मनेपद, प्रथमपुरुष, एकवचन — ‘is born/arises’

Speaker

Bali

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: rājendra (king)

Visual Art Cues

Scene: Bali stands slightly forward, palms joined (añjali), posture composed; devas and dānavas form a semicircle listening; the ocean behind glows with the promise of further emergence.

Characters & Entities

• Bali
• Brahmā

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Dharma begins with honoring rightful precedence—offering the first share to the highest principle (Brahmā and the elders) sanctifies the endeavor.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

No specific tīrtha is referenced in this verse.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

An implicit dharmic rule is stated: offer the ‘first arising’ to the foremost (a precedence/offering principle), though no detailed rite is described.