Narada Purana — Purva Bhaga, Shloka 96
The Explanation of Sandhyā and Related Daily Observances
Saṅdhyā-ādi Nitya-karma-Vidhi
वैकुण्ठो वसुधायुक्तो वसुदः पुरुषोत्तमः । बली तु परया युक्तो बलानुजपरायणे ॥ ९६ ॥
vaikuṇṭho vasudhāyukto vasudaḥ puruṣottamaḥ | balī tu parayā yukto balānujaparāyaṇe || 96 ||
അവൻ ‘വൈകുണ്ഠൻ’; വസുധാ (ഭൂമി)യോടു ചേർന്നാൽ ‘വസുദ’—സമ്പത്ത് നല്കുന്നവൻ—എന്നും ‘പുരുഷോത്തമൻ’ എന്നും അറിയപ്പെടുന്നു. അവൻ ‘ബലി’; പരാശക്തിയോടു ചേർന്ന് ബലാനുജൻ (വിഷ്ണു)യിൽ പരായണനായി നിലകൊള്ളുന്നു.
Sanatkumara (in dialogue instructing Narada)
Vrata: none
Primary Rasa: shanta
Secondary Rasa: bhakti
FAQs
It compresses multiple divine epithets into a single verse to focus the mind on Viṣṇu as the supreme refuge—Lord of Vaikuṇṭha, benefactor of all prosperity, and the transcendent Puruṣottama—supporting nāma-japa and contemplative worship.
By presenting the Lord as ‘parāyaṇa’ (the ultimate shelter) and linking Him with the Bali narrative, it encourages surrender (śaraṇāgati): devotion is to take Viṣṇu alone as the highest support, beyond worldly strength or status.
The verse reflects a Vedāṅga-like technical approach to sacred language: concise naming, semantic derivation (nirukta-style sense of names like Vasuda/Puruṣottama), and disciplined recitation used as a spiritual practice.