Vamana Purana — Prahlada's Instructions to Bali, Shloka 15

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

Devanagari script

बिल्वपत्रं शमीपत्रं पत्रं भृङ्गमृगाङ्कयोः तमालामलकीपत्रं शस्तं केशवपूजने

Transliteration

bilvapatraṃ śamīpatraṃ patraṃ bhṛṅgamṛgāṅkayoḥ tamālāmalakīpatraṃ śastaṃ keśavapūjane

Translation

কেশব (বিষ্ণু)-পূজায় বিল্বপত্র, শমীপত্র, ভৃঙ্গ ও মৃগাঙ্কের পত্র, এবং তমাল ও আমলকীর পত্র প্রশস্ত।

Speakers

• Unspecified in the provided excerpt (didactic prescription within the chapter).

Primary Deities

• Vishnu

Key Themes

• Pūjā-vidhi (leaf offerings)
• Approved ritual materials (patra-arcana)
• Vaiṣṇava devotional orthopraxy

Verse Rasa (Emotional Flavour)

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

FAQs

Bilva is widely associated with Śiva—why is bilva leaf praised here for Keśava’s worship?

Purāṇic ritual culture often shares auspicious materials across sectarian lines. This verse explicitly authorizes bilva for Keśava-pūjā, reflecting a broader Purāṇic tendency toward functional ‘auspiciousness’ (śubhatva) of certain leaves, not an exclusive sectarian ownership.

What should a reader do with uncertain plant identifications like ‘bhṛṅga’ or ‘mṛgāṅka’?

Treat them as traditional plant-names transmitted in ritual lists; exact botanical mapping can vary by region and later nighaṇṭu (lexicon) traditions. For practice-oriented reading, the key point is: specific leaves are sanctioned as ‘śasta’ for Viṣṇu worship.

Is the verse implying leaves can substitute for flowers?

Yes in principle: it is part of a broader offering taxonomy (flowers, leaves, sprouts, grasses, aquatic flowers). The chapter’s sequence indicates that patra (leaves) are valid arcana-dravyas alongside blossoms.