Vamana Purana — Prahlada's Instructions to Bali, Shloka 57

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

Devanagari script

गते हि तस्मिन् मुदिते पितामहे बलेर्बभौ मन्दिरमिन्दुवर्णम् महेन्द्रशिल्पिप्रवरो ऽथ केशवं स कारयामास महामहीयान्

Transliteration

gate hi tasmin mudite pitāmahe balerbabhau mandiraminduvarṇam mahendraśilpipravaro 'tha keśavaṃ sa kārayāmāsa mahāmahīyān

Translation

അവൻ പ്രസ്ഥാനം ചെയ്ത ശേഷം പിതാമഹൻ (ബ്രഹ്മാവ്) പ്രസന്നനായപ്പോൾ, ബലിക്കായി ചന്ദ്രവർണ്ണമുള്ള ഒരു മന്ദിരം പ്രത്യക്ഷപ്പെട്ടു. തുടർന്ന് മഹേന്ദ്രനെപ്പോലെ ശ്രേഷ്ഠ ശില്പിയായ കേശവൻ ആ മഹാമഹിമയുള്ള (ക്ഷേത്രം) നിർമ്മിപ്പിച്ചു।

Speakers

• Narrator (Purāṇic narrator) describing events to the listening sage/audience (contextually within the Vāmana–Bali narration).

Primary Deities

• Vishnu (Keśava/Vāmana/Trivikrama)
• Brahma (Pitāmaha)
• Indra (Mahendra)

Key Themes

• Temple construction (devālaya/mandira)
• Bhakti expressed through sacred architecture
• Divine approval (Brahmā’s pleasure)
• Bali’s post-submission devotion
• Royal patronage of worship

Verse Rasa (Emotional Flavour)

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

FAQs

Who is ‘pitāmaha’ here, and why is his delight mentioned?

‘Pitāmaha’ is Brahmā, the grandsire of beings. His pleasure signals cosmic sanction: Bali’s new devotional orientation (after the Vāmana episode) is affirmed by the creator-god, legitimizing the establishment of Viṣṇu’s shrine.

Why describe the temple as ‘moon-colored’ (induvarṇa)?

The epithet suggests auspicious purity and serene brilliance, a conventional Purāṇic aesthetic for sacred structures. It also contrasts with the earlier martial/cosmic tension of the Trivikrama act, marking a transition into pacified devotion and ritual order.

How can Keśava be called a ‘foremost craftsman like Indra’?

Indra is associated with divine architecture (e.g., celestial palaces). Calling Keśava ‘mahendra-śilpi-pravara’ poetically attributes supreme skill and sovereignty over sacred construction to Viṣṇu, emphasizing that the shrine’s establishment is ultimately divinely authored even if executed through agents.