Vamana Purana — Prahlada's Instructions to Bali, Shloka 41

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

Devanagari script

अपि नः सन्ततौ जायेद् विष्ण्वालयविलेपनम् सम्मार्जनं च धर्मात्मा करिष्यति च भक्तितः

Transliteration

api naḥ santatau jāyed viṣṇvālayavilepanam sammārjanaṃ ca dharmātmā kariṣyati ca bhaktitaḥ

Translation

“Will there be born in our progeny a righteous-souled person who, out of devotion, will perform the plastering/anointing (vilepana) and the sweeping/cleaning (sammārjana) of Viṣṇu’s abode (temple)?”

Speakers

• Ancestral/Pitṛ-voiced aspiration within the narrative (speaker not explicit in excerpt)
• oriented toward a Daitya lineage

Primary Deities

• Viṣṇu

Key Themes

• Temple service (sevā)
• Ritual cleanliness and sanctity
• Bhakti expressed through humble acts
• Lineage uplift (santati) through dharma

Verse Rasa (Emotional Flavour)

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

FAQs

Why are sweeping and plastering treated as spiritually significant?

Purāṇic bhakti elevates ‘small’ acts of service when performed with devotion. Sammārjana and vilepana maintain the sanctity of the deity’s space and symbolize inner purification—cleaning the temple mirrors cleaning the mind.

What is ‘vilepana’ in a temple context?

It can denote ritual smearing/plastering of floors/walls with auspicious substances (e.g., purified clay, cow-dung mixture) or anointing surfaces with fragrant pastes. The emphasis is on consecrated maintenance rather than mere construction.

How do verses 68.40–41 relate to broader Purāṇic dharma?

They present a graded ethic of devotion: not only grand acts like building a temple (mandira-karaṇa) but also ongoing caretaking (sevā) are meritorious. This aligns with Purāṇic teaching that bhakti is validated by sustained, humble practice.