Vamana Purana — Prahlada's Instructions to Bali, Shloka 66

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

Devanagari script

आपद्भुजङ्गदष्टस्य मन्त्रहीनस्य सर्वदा वृद्धवाक्यैषधा नूनं कुर्वन्ति किल निर्विषम्

Transliteration

āpadbhujaṅgadaṣṭasya mantrahīnasya sarvadā vṛddhavākyaiṣadhā nūnaṃ kurvanti kila nirviṣam

Translation

आपत्ती-रूपी सर्पदंश झालेल्या आणि सदैव रक्षणमंत्रहीन व्यक्तीसाठी वृद्धवचनांची औषधी निश्चयच विषाला जणू निर्विष करते।

Speakers

• Didactic narrator/teacher voice (contextually within Adhyāya 68) addressing the listener (traditional frame often: Pulastya to Nārada
• though not explicit in the given excerpt).

Key Themes

• Authority of elders (vṛddha-śāsana)
• Dharma as practical refuge in adversity
• Counsel as spiritual medicine
• Metaphor of poison/serpent for संकट (crisis)

Verse Rasa (Emotional Flavour)

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

FAQs

Why is calamity compared to a serpent-bite in this verse?

Serpent-bite is a classical Sanskrit metaphor for sudden, life-threatening danger. Here, “āpada-bhujaṅga” frames crisis as a venom that spreads quickly; the verse then elevates elders’ counsel as the antidote that neutralizes it.

What does “mantra-hīna” imply—lack of Vedic rites or lack of inner resources?

Both readings are admissible. Literally it means lacking protective mantras/ritual remedies; ethically it also suggests being without prepared supports—discipline, guidance, or wise strategies—so that one must rely on the living ‘medicine’ of experienced elders.

Is this teaching sectarian or tied to a specific deity?

No. The verse is nīti-oriented and universal: it presents dharmic social structure—respect for elders and their guidance—as a practical salvific force, independent of sectarian devotion.