Vamana Purana — Prahlada's Instructions to Bali, Shloka 40

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

Devanagari script

अपि नः स कुले कश्चिद् विष्णुभक्तो भविष्यति हरिमन्दिरकर्ता यो भविष्यति शिचिव्रतः

Transliteration

api naḥ sa kule kaścid viṣṇubhakto bhaviṣyati harimandirakartā yo bhaviṣyati śicivrataḥ

Translation

“Will there be, in our lineage, someone who becomes a devotee of Viṣṇu—one who will build a temple for Hari—who will be steadfast in vows and conduct (śuci-vrata)?”

Speakers

• Ancestral/Pitṛ-voiced aspiration or lineage-reflection addressed within the narrative to a Daitya (exact speaker not explicit in excerpt)

Primary Deities

• Viṣṇu
• Hari

Key Themes

• Bhakti (devotion)
• Temple construction (mandira-karaṇa) as merit
• Purity and vows (śuci-vrata)
• Transformation of Daitya lineage through dharma

Verse Rasa (Emotional Flavour)

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

FAQs

Why is building a ‘Harimandira’ highlighted as a defining act of dharma?

In Purāṇic dharma discourse, temple-building is a high-merit public act (sādhāraṇa-puṇya) that establishes a lasting locus for worship, charity, and ritual. It is treated as a concrete embodiment of bhakti and as a means of elevating one’s lineage.

What does ‘śuci-vrata’ imply—ritual purity, moral purity, or both?

Both. ‘Śuci’ spans external cleanliness (required for pūjā) and internal purity (truthfulness, restraint). ‘Vrata’ indicates sustained discipline. Together they describe a devotee whose worship is supported by ethical and ritual integrity.

How does this verse fit a Daitya-centered narrative?

It frames a moral aspiration: even lineages stereotyped as ‘daitya’ can seek redemption and honor through devotion to Viṣṇu and service to sacred institutions. This is a common Purāṇic strategy to universalize bhakti and dharma.