Shloka 45

Gift of Sudarshana — The Gift of Sudarshana: Shiva’s Boon to Vishnu and the Sanctification of Virupaksha

Devanagari script

तन्मातुर्वचनं श्रुत्वा वीतमन्युसुतो बली तमाराध्य विरूपाक्षं प्राप्तः क्षीरेण भोजनम्

Transliteration

tanmāturvacanaṃ śrutvā vītamanyusuto balī tamārādhya virūpākṣaṃ prāptaḥ kṣīreṇa bhojanam

Translation

Saromahatmya (Saro-mahātmya)

Speakers

• Narrative voice (reporting Bali’s response to his mother’s instruction).

Primary Deities

• Shiva

Key Themes

• Efficacy of maternal counsel (mātṛ-vākya)
• Śiva devotion across asura lineages
• Boons as immediate, tangible sustenance (kṣīra-bhojana)
• Dharma of worship (ārādhana)

Verse Rasa (Emotional Flavour)

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

FAQs

Who is ‘Vītamanyu’ here, and why is Bali identified through him?

The verse uses a patronymic (‘Vītamanyu-suta’) to anchor Bali within a specific genealogical framing used by this recension/section. Such identifiers often vary across Purāṇic tellings and serve to localize or emphasize a particular lineage tradition.

What is the narrative function of ‘milk as food’ (kṣīreṇa bhojanam)?

It signals an immediate, life-sustaining boon—often used in Purāṇic narratives to show that devotion yields not only metaphysical merit but also practical preservation, especially during hardship, exile, or austerity.

Does this verse imply sectarian superiority of Śiva?

It presents Śiva as highly efficacious (‘Virūpākṣa’ granting a boon), but within the broader chapter context (including Viṣṇu’s worship of Śiva and vice versa across Purāṇas), it typically functions to teach inter-deity reverence and the universality of devotion rather than exclusivism.