Skanda Purana — Nagara Khanda, Shloka 7

Devanagari script

सूत उवाच । बलिर्बद्धो यदा तेन विष्णुना प्रभविष्णुना । तदा क्रमैस्त्रिभिर्व्याप्तं त्रैलोक्यं सचराचरम्

Transliteration

sūta uvāca | balirbaddho yadā tena viṣṇunā prabhaviṣṇunā | tadā kramaistribhirvyāptaṃ trailokyaṃ sacarācaram

Translation

苏多说道：当巴利被那位大能的毗湿奴缚住之时，彼时以三步之行，三界——动与不动——尽皆被其遍满。

Word by Word

• सूतः: Sūta
• सूतः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: सूत (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन

• उवाच: said
• उवाच: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: वच् (धातु)
• Form: लिट्-लकार (Perfect), प्रथम-पुरुष, एकवचन

• बलिः: Bali
• बलिः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: बलि (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन

• बद्धः: bound
• बद्धः: Kriya (Predicative/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: बन्ध् (धातु) + बद्ध (कृदन्त)
• Form: भूतकृदन्त (past passive participle), पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन; विधेय (predicate)

• यदा: when
• यदा: Sambandha (Temporal connector)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: यदा (अव्यय)
• Form: कालवाचक-अव्यय (temporal conjunction: 'when')

• तेन: by him
• तेन: Karana (Instrument/Agent in passive/करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: तद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: सर्वनाम, पुं/नपुंसकलिङ्ग, तृतीया-विभक्ति (Instrumental), एकवचन

• विष्णुना: by Viṣṇu
• विष्णुना: Karana (Agent in passive/करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: विष्णु (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, तृतीया-विभक्ति, एकवचन

• प्रभविष्णुना: by the powerful Viṣṇu
• प्रभविष्णुना: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: प्रभु (प्रातिपदिक) + विष्णु (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: कर्मधारय-समास (appositional: 'mighty Viṣṇu'); पुंलिङ्ग, तृतीया-विभक्ति, एकवचन (विशेषण of विष्णुना)

• तदा: then
• तदा: Kriya-visheshaṇa (Temporal modifier)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: तदा (अव्यय)
• Form: कालवाचक-अव्यय (then)

• क्रमैः: by steps
• क्रमैः: Karana (Instrument/means/करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: क्रम (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, तृतीया-विभक्ति, बहुवचन

• त्रिभिः: by three
• त्रिभिः: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: त्रि (संख्या-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: त्रिलिङ्ग, तृतीया-विभक्ति, बहुवचन (विशेषण of क्रमैः)

• व्याप्तम्: pervaded/covered
• व्याप्तम्: Kriya (Predicative/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: वि + आप् (धातु) + व्याप्त (कृदन्त)
• Form: भूतकृदन्त (past passive participle), नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया, एकवचन; विधेय (predicate)

• त्रैलोक्यम्: the three worlds
• त्रैलोक्यम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: त्रि (संख्या) + लोक (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: द्विगु-समास (numerical: 'three worlds'); नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया, एकवचन

• सचराचरम्: with all moving and unmoving beings
• सचराचरम्: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: चर (प्रातिपदिक) + अचर (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: द्वन्द्व-समास (copulative: 'moving and unmoving'); नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया, एकवचन (विशेषण of त्रैलोक्यम्)

Speaker

Sūta (Lomaharṣaṇa/Sūta narrator)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Viṣṇu-pāda associated with Trivikrama’s stride (contextual)

Type: kshetra

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: Ṛṣayaḥ

Visual Art Cues

Scene: Sūta narrates: Vāmana becomes Trivikrama; Bali is bound; the Lord’s three strides expand to fill the three worlds, with gods, asuras, and beings witnessing the cosmic act.

Characters & Entities

• Sūta
• Viṣṇu
• Bali
• Trivikrama (three strides)

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

The Lord’s cosmic sovereignty is remembered through mythic acts, which become anchors for sacred geography and devotion.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

Viṣṇupada-tīrtha, whose origin is being linked to Viṣṇu’s three strides (Trivikrama).

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

No direct prescription here; it begins the origin account (kathā) grounding the tirtha’s sanctity.