Vamana Purana — Prahlada's Instructions to Bali, Shloka 37

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

Devanagari script

यः कारयेन्मन्दिरं केशवस्य पुण्यांल्लोकान् स जयेच्छाश्वतान् वै दत्त्वारामान् पुष्पफलाभिपन्नान् भोगान् भुङ्क्ते कामातः श्लाघनीयान्

Transliteration

yaḥ kārayenmandiraṃ keśavasya puṇyāṃllokān sa jayecchāśvatān vai dattvārāmān puṣpaphalābhipannān bhogān bhuṅkte kāmātaḥ ślāghanīyān

Translation

Whoever causes a temple of Keśava to be built conquers (attains) the meritorious worlds—indeed, the everlasting ones. And having donated pleasure-groves rich in flowers and fruits, he enjoys desirable, praiseworthy enjoyments according to his wish.

Speakers

• (Contextual frame of Adhyaya 68) Purāṇic instruction on the fruits (phala) of building Keśava’s temple and endowing gardens; exact interlocutors not specified in the excerpt.

Primary Deities

• Vishnu (Keśava)

Key Themes

• Temple construction (mandira-nirmāṇa)
• Phalaśruti (merit results)
• Endowments (ārāma-dāna)
• Heavenly attainment (puṇya-loka)
• Pious enjoyment aligned with dharma

Verse Rasa (Emotional Flavour)

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

FAQs

What does ‘conquers the everlasting worlds’ mean in Purāṇic idiom?

‘Jayet lokān’ is a stock expression for attaining superior post-mortem states through merit. ‘Śāśvata’ intensifies the claim: the result is not a fleeting reward but a stable, exalted destination (often understood as Viṣṇu-related realms or long-lasting heavenly states).

Why are gardens (ārāma) singled out alongside temple-building?

Ārāma-dāna supports continuous worship and hospitality: flowers for pūjā, fruits for offerings and feeding, shade and rest for pilgrims. In tīrtha-culture, such endowments are treated as ongoing merit because they repeatedly benefit worship and travelers.

Does the verse endorse sensual enjoyment (bhoga) as a religious goal?

It frames ‘bhoga’ as a dharmically obtained fruit of meritorious acts, not as indulgence divorced from ethics. The adjective ‘ślāghanīya’ (‘praiseworthy’) signals that the enjoyments are legitimate results of righteous giving and service.