Vamana Purana — Bali's Sudarshana Worship, Shloka 5

Bali’s Worship of Sudarshana and Prahlada’s Teaching on Vishnu-Bhakti

Devanagari script

भोगासक्तस्य दैत्यस्य वसतः सुतले तदा दैत्यतेजोहरः प्राप्तः चपाताले वै सुदर्शनः

Transliteration

bhogāsaktasya daityasya vasataḥ sutale tadā daityatejoharaḥ prāptaḥ capātāle vai sudarśanaḥ

Translation

ભોગોમાં આસક્ત તે દૈત્ય સুতલમાં વસતો હતો ત્યારે, દૈત્ય들의 તેજ હરણ કરનાર સુદર્શન ચક્ર પાતાળમાં પણ હાજર થયું.

Speakers

• Narratorial voice within the Vamana–Bali episode

Primary Deities

• Vishnu
• Sudarśana

Key Themes

• Vishnu’s continuing oversight of Bali
• Cosmography of the netherworlds
• Sudarśana as deterrent/guardian against Daitya resurgence

Verse Rasa (Emotional Flavour)

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

FAQs

Why is Sudarśana said to be in Pātāla?

The statement encodes a theological point: Bali’s realm is not merely a place of exile but a domain kept under Viṣṇu’s supervision. Sudarśana’s presence symbolizes enforcement of cosmic order and prevention of Daitya overreach.

Does “daitya-tejo-hara” mean Sudarśana harms all Daityas indiscriminately?

It is a functional epithet: Sudarśana neutralizes unrighteous, destabilizing power. In the Bali narrative, it underscores restraint and protection rather than gratuitous destruction—Bali is allowed prosperity, but rebellion is checked.

How should Sutala and Pātāla be indexed geographically in the Vāmana Purāṇa?

They should be indexed under cosmographic geography (loka/adholoka mapping). Even though not pilgrimage sites, they are key ‘places’ in the Purāṇa’s spatial imagination and should be tagged as underworld realms.