Vamana Purana — Bali's Sudarshana Worship, Shloka 58

Bali’s Worship of Sudarshana and Prahlada’s Teaching on Vishnu-Bhakti

Devanagari script

किं तस्य बहुर्भर्मन्त्रैर्भक्तिर्यस्य जनार्दने नमो नारायणायेति मन्त्रः सर्वार्थसाधकः

Transliteration

kiṃ tasya bahurbharmantrairbhaktiryasya janārdane namo nārāyaṇāyeti mantraḥ sarvārthasādhakaḥ

Translation

What need has he of many mantras, whose devotion is in Janārdana? The mantra ‘namo nārāyaṇāya’ is the accomplisher of all aims.

Speakers

• Not specified in input (didactic voice within Adhyāya 67).

Primary Deities

• Vishnu (Janārdana)
• Vishnu (Nārāyaṇa)

Key Themes

• Nāma-japa and mantra-supremacy
• Bhakti as sufficient sādhana
• Accessibility of salvation
• Integration of puruṣārthas through devotion

Verse Rasa (Emotional Flavour)

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

FAQs

What does “sarvārtha-sādhaka” imply in Purāṇic theology?

It signals that the Nārāyaṇa-nāma can yield the full spectrum of puruṣārthas—worldly welfare (artha/kāma) when sought righteously, and ultimately mokṣa—because it is grounded in surrender (namas) and devotion (bhakti).

Is the verse advocating a single-mantra practice over Vedic complexity?

It prioritizes heartfelt devotion over multiplicity of formulae. The claim is not anti-Vedic; rather, it asserts that without bhakti, mantra-proliferation is redundant, while with bhakti, the essential nāma-mantra suffices.

How might this relate to tīrtha practice in the Vāmana Purāṇa?

Tīrtha-mahātmya often prescribes baths, gifts, and recitations. This verse functions as a hermeneutic key: the most portable ‘tīrtha’ is the divine name, which can be practiced anywhere, including during pilgrimage.