Shloka 18

Prahlada's Instructions to Bali — Prahlada’s Instructions to Bali on Vishnu Worship, Monthly Gifts, and Building Hari’s Temple

Devanagari script

प्रवालैः शुचिभिः श्लक्ष्णैर्जलप्रक्षालितैर्बले वनस्पतीनामर्च्येत तथा दूर्वाग्रपल्लवैः

Transliteration

pravālaiḥ śucibhiḥ ślakṣṇairjalaprakṣālitairbale vanaspatīnāmarcyeta tathā dūrvāgrapallavaiḥ

Translation

“O Bali, one should worship (the deity) with clean, smooth coral pieces that have been washed with water, and likewise with the tender shoots at the tips of dūrvā grass.”

Speakers

• Narrator/teacher voice addressing Bali (Bale) within the Vāmana–Bali ritual-ethical frame of the chapter.

Primary Deities

• Vishnu (Vāmana/Trivikrama)

Key Themes

• Pūjā-upacāra (ritual offerings)
• Śauca (purity)
• Auspicious vegetal offerings (dūrvā)
• Devotional discipline

Verse Rasa (Emotional Flavour)

{ "primaryRasa": "shanta", "secondaryRasa": "vira", "rasaIntensity": 0, "emotionalArcPosition": "", "moodDescriptors": [] }

FAQs

Why are coral (pravāla) and dūrvā grass singled out as offerings?

Both are widely treated as auspicious substances in pūjā culture: pravāla is valued for purity, redness (śrī/maṅgala connotations), and durability; dūrvā is a classic sacred grass used for sanctification and as a life-symbol (fresh, proliferating shoots), making it a standard offering in many rites.

Does ‘vanaspatīnāṁ’ mean worshipping trees themselves?

Here it functions as a category marker for plant-based upacāras—i.e., worship is performed using vegetal items (sprouts, grasses, leaves). The grammar supports “with (items of) vegetation,” not necessarily “to the trees.”

What does the vocative ‘bale’ indicate about the narrative setting?

It signals that the instruction is framed within discourse involving King Bali, aligning the ritual prescriptions with the Vāmana–Bali narrative milieu even when the verse itself is a general pūjā guideline.