Skanda Purana — Prabhasa Khanda, Shloka 4
ऋणे भवति दैत्येन्द्र बंधनं घोरदर्शनम् । त्वं पूरय पदं तन्मे नोचेद्बन्धं प्रतीच्छ भोः
ṛṇe bhavati daityendra baṃdhanaṃ ghoradarśanam | tvaṃ pūraya padaṃ tanme nocedbandhaṃ pratīccha bhoḥ
“Quando resta uma dívida, ó senhor dos Daityas, segue-se um vínculo de terrível aparência. Cumpre para mim esse passo; caso contrário, aceita estas algemas, ó senhor.”
Vāmana/Viṣṇu (addressing Bali)
Tirtha: वस्त्रापथ-क्षेत्र
Type: kshetra
Listener: राजा
Scene: त्रिविक्रम बलि से कहता है—‘पदं पूरय’; हाथ में पाश/बंधन का संकेत; बलि के मुख पर गंभीरता; सभा में सन्नाटा
FAQs
Unfulfilled obligations (ṛṇa) bind the soul; dharma requires completing one’s pledged gift, or accepting the consequence with integrity.
The teaching appears within the Vastrāpathakṣetra Māhātmya of Prabhāsa Khaṇḍa, tying ethical dharma to the sanctity of the locale.
The implied prescription is to complete one’s vowed dāna/saṅkalpa fully; otherwise one incurs ‘bondage’ (a punitive consequence).