Skanda Purana — Kashi Khanda, Shloka 19

Devanagari script

बलाय बलभद्राय बलारातिप्रियाय च । बलियज्ञप्रमथन नमो भक्तवरप्रद

Transliteration

balāya balabhadrāya balārātipriyāya ca | baliyajñapramathana namo bhaktavaraprada

Translation

اے قوت والے رب، تجھے سلام؛ اے بل بھدر، تجھے سلام؛ اور اے بَلا کے دشمن کے محبوب، تجھے سلام۔ اے بَلی کے یَجْن کو دبانے والے، اے بھکتوں کو ور دینے والے، تجھے نمونمہ۔

Word by Word

• बलाय: to Bala
• बलाय: Sampradana (Recipient/सम्प्रदान)
• Type: Noun
• Root: बल (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग; चतुर्थी (4th/Dative), एकवचन

• बलभद्राय: to Balabhadra
• बलभद्राय: Sampradana (Recipient/सम्प्रदान)
• Type: Noun
• Root: बल + भद्र (प्रातिपदिके)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग; चतुर्थी (4th/Dative), एकवचन; कर्मधारयः (बलः एव भद्रः/बलभद्रः)

• बलारातिप्रियाय: to the beloved of Bala’s foe (or: dear to the enemy of Bala)
• बलारातिप्रियाय: Sampradana (Recipient/सम्प्रदान)
• Type: Noun
• Root: बल + अराति + प्रिय (प्रातिपदिके)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग; चतुर्थी (4th/Dative), एकवचन; तत्पुरुषः (बलस्य अरातिः शत्रुः; तस्य प्रियः/बलारातिप्रियः)

• च: and
• च: Sambandha (Connector/समुच्चय)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: च (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; समुच्चयार्थक-निपात

• बलियज्ञप्रमथन: O destroyer of Bali’s sacrifice
• बलियज्ञप्रमथन: Sambodhana (Address/सम्बोधन)
• Type: Noun
• Root: बलि + यज्ञ + प्रमथन (प्रातिपदिके)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग; सम्बोधन (Vocative/8th), एकवचन; तत्पुरुषः (बलियज्ञं प्रमथ्नाति/विघ्नयति)

• नमः: salutation
• नमः: Sambodhana/Address (सम्बोधन-प्रयोग)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: नमस् (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: अव्यय; नमस्कारार्थक-निपात

• भक्तवरप्रद: O giver of boons to devotees
• भक्तवरप्रद: Sambodhana (Address/सम्बोधन)
• Type: Noun
• Root: भक्त + वर + प्रद (प्रातिपदिके)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग; सम्बोधन (Vocative/8th), एकवचन; तत्पुरुषः (भक्तेभ्यः वरं प्रददाति)

Speaker

Skanda (deduced: Kāśīkhaṇḍa commonly Skanda → Agastya)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Avimukta-kṣetra (Kāśī)

Type: kshetra

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A powerful divine figure associated with Balabhadra stands with plough/club symbolism (even if not named), while a humbled sacrificial scene of Bali is shown in the background; devotees receive blessings (vara-pradāna).

Characters & Entities

• Viṣṇu
• Balabhadra
• Bali

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Devotion draws divine grace: the Lord curbs pride and grants fitting boons to sincere bhaktas.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

The chapter belongs to Kāśī’s sacred corpus; this verse itself highlights the Lord’s boon-giving nature rather than a single tirtha.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

No explicit prescription; it supports stuti as a dharmic practice.