Vamana Purana — Bali's Sudarshana Worship, Shloka 49

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

Devanagari script

प्रणिपत्य यथान्यायं संसारे न पुनर्भवेत् क्षेत्रेषु वसते नित्यं क्रीडन्नास्ते ऽमितद्युतिः

Transliteration

praṇipatya yathānyāyaṃ saṃsāre na punarbhavet kṣetreṣu vasate nityaṃ krīḍannāste 'mitadyutiḥ

Translation

യഥാവിധി പ്രണിപതിച്ചാൽ മനുഷ്യൻ സംസാരത്തിൽ വീണ്ടും ജനിക്കുകയില്ല. അമിത ദ്യുതിയുള്ള ഭഗവാൻ പുണ്യക്ഷേത്രങ്ങളിൽ നിത്യമായി വസിച്ച് ദിവ്യലീലയിൽ ഇരിക്കുന്നു.

Speakers

• Not specified in the excerpt (continuation of didactic phalaśruti within Adhyaya 67).

Primary Deities

• Vishnu
• Narayana

Key Themes

• Praṇipāta (reverential prostration)
• Kṣetra-vāsa (dwelling in holy places)
• Tīrtha theology (divine presence in sacred geography)
• Mokṣa (freedom from rebirth)
• Līlā (divine play)

Verse Rasa (Emotional Flavour)

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

FAQs

What does ‘praṇipāta according to propriety’ imply in a Purāṇic setting?

It implies reverence aligned with dharma: humility, purity of intention, and observance of customary rules (ācāra) when approaching deity, tīrtha, or sacred persons—prostration as embodied surrender.

How can the deity be said to ‘dwell in the kṣetras’ eternally?

Purāṇic tīrtha doctrine holds that the divine is specially accessible in consecrated geographies—rivers, lakes, temples, and pilgrimage fields—where merit is intensified and the deity’s presence is ritually and mythically affirmed.

Does the verse promise liberation merely by living in a holy place?

The verse frames kṣetra-vāsa together with proper reverence (praṇipāta) and, by the surrounding context, devotion/remembering; it is not mere residence but sacralized living—conduct and orientation toward the deity—that is being praised.