Vamana Purana — Prahlada's Instructions to Bali, Shloka 52

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

Devanagari script

तमेव चाग्यापि बले मार्गं ज्यामघकारितम् व्रजन्ति नरशार्दूल विष्णुलोकजिगीषवः

Transliteration

tameva cāgyāpi bale mārgaṃ jyāmaghakāritam vrajanti naraśārdūla viṣṇulokajigīṣavaḥ

Translation

“Even today, O tiger among men, those who seek to win (attain) the world of Viṣṇu follow that very path established by Jyāmagha.”

Speakers

• Narrator (Purāṇic speaker) addressing a king (naraśārdūla / bale)

Primary Deities

• Vishnu

Key Themes

• Pilgrimage as soteriological method
• Tradition of sacred routes (mārga)
• Continuity of practice (‘even today’)
• Viṣṇu-bhakti oriented yātrā

Verse Rasa (Emotional Flavour)

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

FAQs

What is meant by ‘Jyāmagha-kārita mārga’—a literal road or a ritual program?

Purāṇic mārga language often carries both senses: (1) a concrete pilgrimage route connecting tīrthas/temples, and (2) a normative ‘course’ of observances (darśana, snāna, dāna, arcana). The verse emphasizes continuity: the route/program instituted by Jyāmagha remains authoritative.

Why use the verb ‘jigīṣavaḥ’ (desiring to conquer) for attaining Viṣṇuloka?

It frames liberation/attainment in heroic-royal idiom: the aspirant ‘wins’ the divine realm through disciplined practice. This is especially apt when addressing a king (naraśārdūla), translating spiritual attainment into the language of royal achievement.

How does this fit the Vāmana Purāṇa’s geographic character?

By presenting salvation as linked to a named mārga, the text maps religious merit onto movement through space. Even when a verse does not list rivers or tīrthas, it signals a spatialized soteriology: one reaches Viṣṇu’s realm by traversing a sanctified route.