Vamana Purana — Prahlada's Instructions to Bali, Shloka 71

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

Devanagari script

तस्माद् यो वृद्धवाक्यानि शृणुयाद् विदधाति च स सद्यः सिद्धिमाप्नोति यथा वैरोचनो बलिः

Transliteration

tasmād yo vṛddhavākyāni śṛṇuyād vidadhāti ca sa sadyaḥ siddhimāpnoti yathā vairocano baliḥ

Translation

Therefore, whoever listens to the words of elders and acts upon them, attains success at once—just as Bali, the son of Virocana, (did).

Speakers

• Not specified in input; didactic statement invoking Bali as authoritative example.

Primary Deities

• Viṣṇu (Vāmana/Trivikrama)
• Bali (Daitya king; devotee figure in Vaiṣṇava memory)

Key Themes

• Elders’ counsel as dharma
• Śravaṇa (listening) + anuṣṭhāna (practice)
• Exemplum of Bali
• Immediate ‘siddhi’ through right conduct

Verse Rasa (Emotional Flavour)

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

FAQs

How is Bali an example of ‘siddhi’ through elders’ counsel?

Within the broader Vāmana–Bali cycle, Bali’s ‘siddhi’ is not merely worldly victory but the attainment of an exalted state through adherence to dharma—especially truthfulness, generosity, and submission to rightful authority. The verse uses him as a model that right guidance, when heard and enacted, yields decisive fruition.

Does ‘siddhi’ mean yogic powers here?

Not necessarily. In nīti passages, siddhi commonly means successful outcome/attainment of one’s proper end. The Purāṇic context allows a layered sense: ethical success in action and, ultimately, spiritual elevation through dharmic alignment.

What is the practical instruction encoded in the two verbs ‘śṛṇuyāt’ and ‘vidadhāti’?

The teaching is twofold: (1) receptive listening to qualified counsel (śravaṇa), and (2) implementation (anuṣṭhāna). The Purāṇa emphasizes that counsel without practice does not rescue one from ‘āpaj-jala’ (68.70).