Vamana Purana — Bali's Sudarshana Worship, Shloka 15

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

Devanagari script

तमायुधवरं वन्दे वासुदेवस्य भक्तितः यन्मे पापं शरीरोत्थं वाग्जं मानसमेव च

Transliteration

tamāyudhavaraṃ vande vāsudevasya bhaktitaḥ yanme pāpaṃ śarīrotthaṃ vāgjaṃ mānasameva ca

Translation

{"scene_description": "A sacred tīrtha precinct where large raised platforms/pavilions are being erected; officiant-like ritual experts supervise while artisans set stone/wood and inlay jewel-like ornamentation.", "primary_figures": ["ritual experts (pauroga-vidhāna-jña)", "skilled artisans", "pilgrims/locals assisting"], "setting": "Riverside or lake-side tīrtha courtyard with newly built maṇḍapas and polished decorative elements.", "color_palette": ["sandstone", "gold", "deep red", "emerald green", "ivory white"], "tanjore_prompt": "South Indian Tanjore style, gold-leaf heavy architecture detailing, a tīrtha courtyard with a newly built maṇḍapa/raised platform, artisans placing gem-like inlays, ritual specialists in white dhotis supervising, ornate pillars, warm gold and vermilion tones, devotional ambience", "pahari_prompt": "Pahari miniature, soft pastel landscape of a sacred lake/riverbank, small pavilion under construction with delicate ornament, priests and craftsmen in fine linework, gentle hills and trees, serene devotional mood", "kerala_mural_prompt": "Kerala mural style, bold outlines and flat natural pigments, temple courtyard with a raised platform and pavilion, craftsmen and ritualists arranged in narrative registers, rich ochres and greens, stylized pillars and lamps", "pattachitra_prompt": "Odisha pattachitra scroll style, folk narrative panel of tīrtha construction, patterned borders, artisans carving and decorating a pavilion, priests indicating ritual layout, earthy reds, blacks, and yellows, dense decorative motifs"}

Speakers

• Unnamed devotee/supplicant voice (stuti) addressing Sudarśana
• the weapon of Vāsudeva

Primary Deities

• Vishnu (Vāsudeva)
• Sudarśana-cakra (personified divine weapon)

Key Themes

• Pāpa-kṣaya (removal of sin)
• Tri-karaṇa-śuddhi (purification of body–speech–mind)
• Āyudha-stuti (praise of the Lord’s weapon)
• Bhakti as means of purification

Verse Rasa (Emotional Flavour)

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

FAQs

Why are sins classified as bodily, verbal, and mental in this verse?

This is the classical triad of karma—kāyika (body), vācika (speech), and mānasika (mind). The prayer seeks comprehensive purification, implying that dharma is violated not only by actions but also by words and intentions.

Why is Sudarśana addressed rather than Viṣṇu directly?

Purāṇic devotion often treats Viṣṇu’s attributes and weapons as empowered, personified manifestations. Sudarśana functions as a protective and purifying force—an accessible focus for stuti while still being inseparable from Vāsudeva.

Does this verse itself mention a tīrtha or geography?

No. The verse is a portable stotra-verse (mantra-like) embedded in a chapter that elsewhere belongs to a tīrtha-mahātmya setting; the geography is contextual rather than explicit here.