Vamana Purana — Prahlada's Instructions to Bali, Shloka 17

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

Devanagari script

येषामपि हिच पुष्पाणि प्रशस्तान्यच्युतार्चने पल्लवान्यपि तेषां स्तुः पत्राण्यर्चाविधौ हरेः 68.16 वीरुधां च प्रवालेन बर्हिषा चार्चयेत्तथा नानारूपैश्चाम्बुभवैः कमलेन्दीवरादिभिः

Transliteration

yeṣāmapi hica puṣpāṇi praśastānyacyutārcane pallavānyapi teṣāṃ stuḥ patrāṇyarcāvidhau hareḥ 68.16 vīrudhāṃ ca pravālena barhiṣā cārcayettathā nānārūpaiścāmbubhavaiḥ kamalendīvarādibhiḥ

Translation

Tumbuhan yang bunganya dipuji untuk pemujaan Acyuta, pucuk muda (pallava) dan daunnya pun patut dipakai dalam tata-cara pemujaan Hari. Demikian pula, lakukan pemujaan dengan tunas tanaman merambat dan dengan barhis (rumput kuśa), serta dengan aneka persembahan yang lahir dari air seperti teratai, teratai biru (indīvara), dan lainnya.

Speakers

• Unspecified in the provided excerpt (ritual instruction within the chapter).

Primary Deities

• Vishnu

Key Themes

• Hierarchy and extension of approved offerings (flowers → leaves → shoots)
• Accessibility of worship materials
• Ritual completeness (including grasses and aquatic flowers)
• Bhakti expressed through simple natural offerings

Verse Rasa (Emotional Flavour)

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

FAQs

What principle governs which leaves/shoots are acceptable for Hari’s worship here?

The verse states a rule of extension: if a plant’s flowers are ‘praśasta’ for Acyuta, then its leaves and tender shoots are also acceptable in Hari’s arcā-vidhi. This creates a coherent offering logic rather than isolated lists.

What is the ritual significance of ‘barhis’ in a pūjā context?

Barhis denotes sacred grass used in Vedic and Smārta ritual settings (often kuśa by later convention). Its inclusion signals continuity between pūjā and older sacrificial idioms, allowing worship to be performed with ritually pure, readily available vegetal substances.

Why emphasize aquatic flowers like lotus and blue-lotus?

Lotus (kamala) and blue-lotus (indīvara) are classic purity symbols—water-born yet unstained—making them paradigmatic offerings for Viṣṇu. The phrase ‘and the like’ indicates a broader class of acceptable aquatic blossoms beyond the two named exemplars.