Vamana Purana — Bali's Sudarshana Worship, Shloka 66

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

Devanagari script

सातत्येन हृषीकेशं पूजयित्वा तु यत्फलम् सुचीर्णतपसां नॄणां तता फलं न कदाचन

Transliteration

sātatyena hṛṣīkeśaṃ pūjayitvā tu yatphalam sucīrṇatapasāṃ nṝṇāṃ tatā phalaṃ na kadācana

Translation

Whatever fruit is obtained by worshipping Hṛṣīkeśa with unbroken continuity—such a fruit is never attained (otherwise) even by men who have performed austerities well and for a very long time.

Speakers

• Narratorial/teacher voice within the tīrtha-māhātmya discourse (speaker not specified in the given excerpt) addressing the listener/pilgrim.

Primary Deities

• Viṣṇu (Hṛṣīkeśa)

Key Themes

• Bhakti superior to mere tapas
• Nitya-pūjā (continuous worship)
• Phala-śruti (promise of merit)

Verse Rasa (Emotional Flavour)

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

FAQs

What is the doctrinal point of comparing continuous worship to long austerities?

The verse asserts a Purāṇic hierarchy of means: sustained devotion (bhakti expressed as uninterrupted pūjā) yields a fruit portrayed as rarer than that gained through prolonged tapas alone. It is not a denial of tapas, but a valuation of God-centered continuity over self-powered ascetic effort.

Why is Viṣṇu called Hṛṣīkeśa here?

Hṛṣīkeśa means “Lord of the senses,” indicating mastery and governance of the faculties. In a devotional-ethical setting, it implies that worship aligns the senses toward the divine, which is presented as more efficacious than austerity performed without such anchoring.

Does this verse specify a particular tīrtha practice?

Not directly. It functions as a general instruction embedded in a tīrtha-māhātmya chapter: wherever the pilgrim is, the recommended ‘practice’ is continuity of worship, which the text treats as a portable, always-available discipline.