Vamana Purana — Bali's Sudarshana Worship, Shloka 68

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

Devanagari script

सततं शास्त्रदृष्टेन कर्मणा हरिमर्चय तत्प्रसादात् परां सिद्धिं बले प्राप्स्यसि शाश्वतीम्

Transliteration

satataṃ śāstradṛṣṭena karmaṇā harimarcaya tatprasādāt parāṃ siddhiṃ bale prāpsyasi śāśvatīm

Translation

Sembahlah Hari senantiasa melalui perbuatan yang disahkan oleh śāstra. Wahai Bala, oleh anugerah-Nya engkau akan mencapai kesempurnaan tertinggi yang kekal.

Speakers

• Teacher/narrator addressing ‘Bala’ (interlocutor named in the verse); broader speaker chain not provided in the excerpt.

Primary Deities

• Viṣṇu (Hari)

Key Themes

• Śāstra-vihita worship (orthopraxy)
• Divine grace (prasāda) as the cause of siddhi
• Continuity of practice (satata)

Verse Rasa (Emotional Flavour)

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

FAQs

What does ‘śāstra-dṛṣṭena karmaṇā’ imply about worship?

It emphasizes regulated, scripturally grounded practice—worship performed according to received injunctions (vidhi), not merely improvised devotion. In Purāṇic dharma sections, this often safeguards ritual integrity while still affirming bhakti.

Is ‘parā siddhi’ necessarily mokṣa?

The phrase can include mokṣa, but Purāṇic usage is flexible: it may denote the highest spiritual success available through Hari’s grace—liberation, divine proximity (sāyujya/sāmīpya), or an unsurpassed state of auspiciousness—here qualified as ‘eternal’ (śāśvatī).

Who is ‘Bala’ in this verse?

Within the excerpt, ‘Bala’ functions as a direct addressee, indicating a dialogic frame in the chapter. Without the surrounding verses, identification (whether a specific character or a generic honorific name) cannot be fixed, but the vocative signals instruction aimed at a particular listener.