Vamana Purana — Bali's Sudarshana Worship, Shloka 53

Bali’s Worship of Sudarshana and Prahlada’s Teaching on Vishnu-Bhakti

Devanagari script

हरिवाक्यामृतं पीत्वा विमलैः श्रोत्रभाजनैः प्रहृष्यति मनो येषां दुर्गाण्यतितरन्ति ते

Transliteration

harivākyāmṛtaṃ pītvā vimalaiḥ śrotrabhājanaiḥ prahṛṣyati mano yeṣāṃ durgāṇyatitaranti te

Translation

ଯେମାନେ ନିର୍ମଳ ଶ୍ରବଣ-ପାତ୍ରଦ୍ୱାରା ହରିଙ୍କ ବାକ୍ୟାମୃତ ପାନ କରି ମନେ ହର୍ଷ ପାଆନ୍ତି, ସେମାନେ ଦୁର୍ଗତି ଓ ଅପଦକୁ ଅତିକ୍ରମ କରନ୍ତି।

Speakers

• Narrator-sage continuing the instruction within Adhyāya 67’s bhakti-phala sequence (speaker frame likely Pulastya → Nārada
• with internal address patterns varying by recension).

Primary Deities

• Vishnu (Hari)

Key Themes

• Śravaṇa (hearing) as a primary bhakti limb
• Hari-kathā as amṛta (nectar)
• Inner purification (vimala) and receptivity
• Joy (prahṛṣṭa-manas) as a sign of spiritual assimilation
• Crossing durgati through devotion

Verse Rasa (Emotional Flavour)

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

FAQs

What does it mean to ‘drink the nectar of Hari’s words’ with ‘vessels of hearing’?

It is a layered metaphor: the ear (and the attentive mind behind it) is the ‘vessel’; when purified (vimala) by right intention and discipline, it can ‘contain’ and assimilate Hari-kathā. ‘Drinking’ indicates not mere listening but inward absorption that transforms the listener.

Why is hearing (śravaṇa) emphasized as strongly as worship or meditation?

Purāṇic bhakti frequently treats śravaṇa as foundational: it is accessible, repeatable, and community-based, and it generates remembrance (smaraṇa) and praise (kīrtana). This verse links śravaṇa directly to inner joy and to transcending durgati.

Does the verse imply a specific text by ‘Hari’s words’—Veda, Purāṇa, or mantra?

The expression is intentionally broad: it can include mantra, stotra, Purāṇic narration (hari-kathā), and dharma teaching attributed to Hari. The key criterion is that the content is ‘Hari-centered’ and received with purified receptivity.