Vamana Purana — Prahlada's Instructions to Bali, Shloka 20

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

Devanagari script

महिषाख्यं कणं दारु सिह्लकं सागरुं सिता शङ्खं जातीफलं श्रीशे धूपानि स्युः प्रियाणि वै

Transliteration

mahiṣākhyaṃ kaṇaṃ dāru sihlakaṃ sāgaruṃ sitā śaṅkhaṃ jātīphalaṃ śrīśe dhūpāni syuḥ priyāṇi vai

Translation

“Mahiṣākhya, kaṇa, dāru, sihlaka, sāgaru, white conch (powder), and nutmeg—these incenses are indeed dear to Śrīśa (the Lord of Śrī).”

Speakers

• Instructional voice prescribing dhūpa substances
• directed to the ritual performer within the Bali-framed chapter discourse.

Primary Deities

• Vishnu (Śrīśa)
• Lakshmi (Śrī)

Key Themes

• Dhūpa-upacāra (incense offering)
• Vaishnava worship materials
• Auspicious fragrance taxonomy

Verse Rasa (Emotional Flavour)

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

FAQs

Why does the verse specify that these incenses are ‘dear to Śrīśa’?

Purāṇic ritual sections often map particular substances to a deity’s preferred upacāras, creating a devotional ‘taste-profile’ (priyatva) that guides practitioners toward offerings considered especially fitting for that deity’s worship.

Are all listed items botanically certain (e.g., mahiṣākhya, kaṇa, sihlaka)?

Not always. Several dhūpa terms function as traditional trade/ritual names whose exact botanical or mineral referents can shift by region and later nighaṇṭu (lexicon) traditions. The verse’s primary intent is prescriptive—identifying accepted incense ingredients—rather than botanical precision.

What is the ritual role of dhūpa in this sequence of verses?

Dhūpa is a standard upacāra following or accompanying gandha (anointing) and other services; it sanctifies the space, signals reverence, and is treated as a pleasing sensory offering (smell) to the deity, complementing flowers, unguents, and food offerings.