Vamana Purana — Prahlada's Instructions to Bali, Shloka 7

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

Devanagari script

पूजितेषु द्विजेन्द्रेषु पूजितः स्याज्जनार्दनः एतान् द्विषन्ति ये मूढास्ते यान्ति नरकं ध्रुवम्

Transliteration

pūjiteṣu dvijendreṣu pūjitaḥ syājjanārdanaḥ etān dviṣanti ye mūḍhāste yānti narakaṃ dhruvam

Translation

When the foremost of the twice-born (brāhmaṇas) are honored, Janārdana (Viṣṇu) is thereby honored. Those deluded persons who hate them certainly go to hell.

Speakers

• Not specified in the provided excerpt (didactic voice within Adhyaya 68).

Primary Deities

• Vishnu (Janardana)

Key Themes

• Brahmana-mahima (sanctity of brāhmaṇas)
• Bhakti expressed through honoring the learned
• Ethics of non-hatred
• Karmic consequence (naraka)
• Vaishnava dharma

Verse Rasa (Emotional Flavour)

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

FAQs

Why does the verse equate honoring brāhmaṇas with honoring Janārdana?

The passage uses a common Purāṇic dharma principle: brāhmaṇas, as custodians of Veda, yajña, and dharma, are treated as a living locus of sacred presence. Honoring them is framed as honoring Viṣṇu, who is said to uphold dharma through Vedic order.

Is ‘naraka’ here a literal place or a moral consequence?

Purāṇas often present naraka both as a cosmological realm and as the inevitable karmic result of grave adharma. Here it functions primarily as a deterrent against brāhmaṇa-dveṣa (malice toward brāhmaṇas), marking it as a serious transgression.

Does this teaching imply unconditional approval of any individual brāhmaṇa?

The verse speaks in normative, idealized terms about the brāhmaṇa class as a dharmic institution. Later Purāṇic discourse commonly distinguishes between true brāhmaṇatva (conduct, learning, restraint) and mere birth-status; this verse emphasizes the duty of reverence rather than adjudicating individual merit.