Vamana Purana — Bali's Sudarshana Worship, Shloka 67

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

Devanagari script

त्रिसन्ध्यं पद्मानाभं तु ये स्मरन्ति सुमेधसः ते लभन्त्युपवासस्य फलं नासत्यत्र संशयः

Transliteration

trisandhyaṃ padmānābhaṃ tu ye smaranti sumedhasaḥ te labhantyupavāsasya phalaṃ nāsatyatra saṃśayaḥ

Translation

जे सुमेधावी जन दिवसाच्या तीनही संध्याकाळी/संधिकाळी पद्मनाभाचे स्मरण करतात, ते उपवासाचे फल निश्चयाने प्राप्त करतात; यात संशय नाही।

Speakers

• Narratorial/teacher voice within the chapter’s instruction to the listener/pilgrim (speaker not specified in the excerpt).

Primary Deities

• Viṣṇu (Padmanābha)

Key Themes

• Sandhyā-smaraṇa (thrice-daily remembrance)
• Equivalence of mental devotion and bodily austerity
• Upavāsa-phala

Verse Rasa (Emotional Flavour)

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

FAQs

What are the ‘three sandhyās’ in Purāṇic practice?

They are the daily transitional times—prātaḥ (dawn), madhyāhna (midday), and sāyam (dusk). These are ritually charged moments for remembrance, japa, and worship, often linked with sandhyā-vandana traditions.

How can mere remembrance yield the fruit of fasting?

The verse reflects a bhakti-logic: sincere, disciplined recollection at prescribed times is treated as an inner austerity. It ‘counts’ as upavāsa-phala because the mind is restrained and oriented toward the deity, paralleling the restraint of food.

Why the epithet Padmanābha specifically?

Padmanābha evokes Viṣṇu’s cosmic sovereignty and the creation-symbolism of the navel-lotus. In a tīrtha-māhātmya setting, it universalizes the practice: the pilgrim can connect to the cosmic Lord regardless of location.