Vamana Purana — Bali Learns of Vamana, Shloka 36

Bali Learns of Vamana in Aditi’s Womb and Prahlada Teaches Refuge in Hari

Devanagari script

यता न तस्मादपरं व्यतिरिक्तं हि विद्यते चतुर्दशसु लोकेषु रपाज्यभ्रष्टस्तथा पत

Transliteration

yatā na tasmādaparaṃ vyatiriktaṃ hi vidyate caturdaśasu lokeṣu rapājyabhraṣṭastathā pata

Translation

Sutīrtha: ‘good/excellent tīrtha’; here a named pilgrimage ford/site. Sopavāsī: observing a fast. Jitendriyaḥ: one who has conquered the senses; self-restrained. Hṛṣīkeśa: ‘Lord of the senses’; an epithet of Viṣṇu/Kṛṣṇa. Samabhyarcya: having worshipped properly/with full attention. Badarikāśrama: the āśrama of Badarī (Badrinath region), a major Himalayan sacred center associated with Nara-Nārāyaṇa and Viṣṇu.

Speakers

• Bali’s theological affirmation within the narrative frame (traditionally Pulastya → Nārada)

Primary Deities

• Vishnu (Vāmana/Trivikrama)

Key Themes

• Supremacy of Viṣṇu
• Cosmological totality (caturdaśa-loka)
• Non-dual refuge (no higher alternative)
• Devotion beyond loss

Verse Rasa (Emotional Flavour)

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

FAQs

What are the ‘fourteen worlds’ referenced here?

A standard Purāṇic cosmology: seven higher realms (e.g., Bhūḥ, Bhuvaḥ, Svaḥ, Mahaḥ, Janaḥ, Tapaḥ, Satyaḥ) and seven lower (Atala through Pātāla). The verse uses them to denote the entire cosmos.

What does ‘vyatirikta’ imply theologically?

It denies an independent ultimate separate from Viṣṇu—i.e., no other entity stands as a higher or rival refuge across the cosmic hierarchy.

How does this verse complement 51.35?

51.35 states personal devotion (dearest to me); 51.36 universalizes it cosmologically (no superior exists anywhere), strengthening the rationale for unwavering bhakti despite worldly reversal.