Vamana Purana — Prahlada's Instructions to Bali, Shloka 19

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

Devanagari script

चन्दनेनानुलिम्पेत कुङ्कुमेन प्रयत्ननतः उशीरपद्मकाभ्यां च तथा कालीयकादिना

Transliteration

candanenānulimpeta kuṅkumena prayatnanataḥ uśīrapadmakābhyāṃ ca tathā kālīyakādinā

Translation

“One should carefully anoint (the deity) with sandalwood paste and with saffron; also with uśīra and lotus (fragrances), and likewise with kālīyaka and other such aromatics.”

Speakers

• Instructional voice continuing the address within the Bali-framed discourse of the chapter.

Primary Deities

• Vishnu (Vāmana/Trivikrama)

Key Themes

• Gandha-upacāra (fragrant offerings)
• Ritual attentiveness (prayatna)
• Cooling/auspicious substances in worship

Verse Rasa (Emotional Flavour)

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

FAQs

What is the ritual function of anointing (anulepana) in pūjā?

Anulepana is a standard upacāra expressing honour and hospitality to the deity, paralleling elite social customs of perfuming and cooling the body; it also symbolizes purification and the devotee’s careful service (prayatna).

What is ‘kālīyaka’ in this context?

Kālīyaka is commonly understood as a high-grade aromatic—often a superior sandalwood variety—used as a premium fragrance in worship, grouped with other gandha substances by the suffix ‘-ādinā’ (“and similar”).

Why are cooling aromatics (candana, uśīra) emphasized?

Cooling scents are ritually auspicious and are especially appropriate in devotional service as they signify soothing, pacifying devotion and refined hospitality toward the deity.