Vamana Purana — Bali's Sudarshana Worship, Shloka 65

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

Devanagari script

यो ऽप्यन्यदेवताभक्तो मिथ्यार्चयति केशवम् सो/ऽपि गच्छति साधूनां स्थानं पुण्यकृतां महत्

Transliteration

yo 'pyanyadevatābhakto mithyārcayati keśavam so/'pi gacchati sādhūnāṃ sthānaṃ puṇyakṛtāṃ mahat

Translation

Even one who is devoted to another deity, yet (in an improper or mistaken way) worships Keśava—he too goes to the great abode of the virtuous, the doers of merit.

Speakers

• Unspecified in the provided excerpt (didactic continuation in Adhyāya 67)

Primary Deities

• Vishnu
• Other Deities (implied by anya-devatā)

Key Themes

• Purāṇic inclusivism (accommodating other-devatā devotion)
• Efficacy of Viṣṇu-worship even when imperfect
• Merit and moral-spiritual destination (sādhūnāṃ sthāna)
• Keśava as universal refuge

Verse Rasa (Emotional Flavour)

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

FAQs

What does ‘mithyārcayati’ imply—wrong worship or insincere worship?

Mithyā can indicate ‘mistaken/incorrect’ (procedurally or doctrinally) rather than deliberately deceitful. The verse’s thrust is generous: even imperfect or confused worship directed to Keśava yields an exalted result.

How can someone devoted to another deity still benefit from worshiping Keśava?

Purāṇic theology often treats Viṣṇu as a supreme recipient or inner ground of worship; thus, any genuine act of reverence toward Keśava—however secondary in one’s practice—connects the devotee to a higher salvific trajectory.

Is ‘sādhūnāṃ sthāna’ a specific place like Vaikuṇṭha?

Here it is a qualitative designation—‘the abode/state of the virtuous’—rather than a named loka. In context it functions as a promise of elevated post-mortem destiny aligned with puṇya and devotion.