Shloka 46

Devanagari script

इन्द्राय धर्मराजाय वरुणाय तथेन्दवे प्राच्यादिषु बुधो दद्याद् धुतशेषात्मकं बलिम्

Transliteration

indrāya dharmarājāya varuṇāya tathendave prācyādiṣu budho dadyād dhutaśeṣātmakaṃ balim

Translation

A wise person should, in the eastern and other directions, present the bali-offering—formed from the purified remainder—unto Indra, unto Dharmarāja, unto Varuṇa, and likewise unto the Moon.

Word by Word

• इन्द्राय: to Indra
• इन्द्राय: Sampradana (Recipient/सम्प्रदान)
• Type: Noun
• Root: इन्द्र (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, चतुर्थी (4), एकवचन (masculine, dative singular)

• धर्मराजाय: to Dharmarāja (Yama)
• धर्मराजाय: Sampradana (Recipient/सम्प्रदान)
• Type: Noun
• Root: धर्मराज (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, चतुर्थी (4), एकवचन (masculine, dative singular); षष्ठी-तत्पुरुष (‘king of dharma’)

• वरुणाय: to Varuṇa
• वरुणाय: Sampradana (Recipient/सम्प्रदान)
• Type: Noun
• Root: वरुण (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, चतुर्थी (4), एकवचन (masculine, dative singular)

• तथा: likewise/and
• तथा: Sambandha (Connector/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: तथा (अव्यय)
• Form: समुच्चय/प्रकारवाचक-अव्यय (particle/adverb: likewise/and also)

• इन्दवे: to the Moon
• इन्दवे: Sampradana (Recipient/सम्प्रदान)
• Type: Noun
• Root: इन्दु (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, चतुर्थी (4), एकवचन (masculine, dative singular)

• प्राच्यादिषु: in the eastern and other directions
• प्राच्यादिषु: Adhikarana (Locus/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: प्राची (प्रातिपदिक) + आदि (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग (प्राची-आधार), सप्तमी (7), बहुवचन (locative plural); तत्पुरुष (‘in the eastern etc. directions’)

• बुधः: the wise man
• बुधः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: बुध (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1), एकवचन (masculine, nominative singular)

• दद्याद्: should give
• दद्याद्: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: दा (धातु)
• Form: विधिलिङ् (optative), परस्मैपद, प्रथमपुरुष, एकवचन (optative, parasmaipada, 3rd person singular)

• धुतशेषात्मकम्: consisting of the cleansed remainder
• धुतशेषात्मकम्: Karma (Object-qualifier/कर्म-विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: धुत (कृदन्त-प्रातिपदिक; धु (धातु) + क्त) + शेष (प्रातिपदिक) + आत्मक (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2), एकवचन; बहुपद-तत्पुरुष (having the nature of ‘washed/cleansed remainder’)

• बलिम्: offering (bali)
• बलिम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: बलि (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2), एकवचन (masculine, accusative singular)

Speaker

Sage Parāśara (in instruction to Maitreya)

Parashara-Maitreya Dialogue

Speaker: Parasara

Topic: Directional bali offerings (dhuta-śeṣa) to Indra, Dharma, Varuṇa, and Soma in the quarters

Teaching: Ethical

Quality: prescriptive

Cosmological Context

Cosmic Hierarchy: Lokas (worlds)

Philosophical Teaching

Concept: The purified remainder (dhuta-śeṣa) becomes a bali to the dikpālas, teaching that disciplined action and redistribution sanctify life and stabilize order.

Vedantic Theme: Dharma

Application: After meeting one’s needs, ‘offer the remainder’—share resources, acknowledge civic/ecological forces, and act with gratitude and restraint.

Vishishtadvaita: Ritual sharing mirrors the Lord’s sustaining order: plurality of devas functions as coordinated powers within the Supreme’s governance, not independent ultimates.

Vaishnava Theology

Vishnu Form: Para-Brahman

Bhakti Type: Dasya

Characters & Entities

• Indra
• Dharmarāja (Yama)
• Varuṇa
• Indu (Chandra/Moon)
• Directional quarters (Prācī etc.)

FAQs

What is the significance of offering bali in the different directions in the Vishnu Purana?

This verse frames bali as a way of ritually acknowledging the guardians of cosmic order associated with the quarters, aligning daily life with dharma and the sovereignty of the devas.

How does Sage Parāśara explain the role of Indra, Varuṇa, Dharmarāja, and the Moon in this rite?

He presents them as recipients of the purified remainder-offering, indicating their jurisdiction over governance, justice, waters/moral order, and cyclical regulation—powers that sustain order in the world.

What is the theological importance of Lord Vishnu in this context?

Even when specific devas are addressed, the Vishnu Purana situates such rites within a Vishnu-centered cosmos: honoring divine offices that function under the Supreme Reality, preserving harmony and dharma.