Shloka 20

प्रह्लादस्य विष्णुमयता, विष्णोः दर्शनं, वरदानं, तथा चरितश्रवण-फलम्

Devanagari script

मयि भक्तिस् तवास्त्य् एव भूयो ऽप्य् एवं भविष्यति वरश् च मत्तः प्रह्लाद व्रियतां यस् तवेप्सितः

Transliteration

mayi bhaktis tavāsty eva bhūyo 'py evaṃ bhaviṣyati varaś ca mattaḥ prahlāda vriyatāṃ yas tavepsitaḥ

Translation

ਮੇਰੇ ਵਿੱਚ ਤੇਰੀ ਭਗਤੀ ਨਿਸ਼ਚਿਤ ਹੀ ਹੈ, ਅਤੇ ਆਉਣ ਵਾਲੇ ਸਮਿਆਂ ਵਿੱਚ ਵੀ ਮੁੜ ਮੁੜ ਐਵੇਂ ਹੀ ਰਹੇਗੀ। ਹੁਣ, ਪ੍ਰਹਲਾਦ, ਜੋ ਵਰ ਤੈਨੂੰ ਚਾਹੀਦਾ ਹੈ ਉਹ ਮੇਰੇ ਕੋਲੋਂ ਚੁਣ ਲੈ।

Word by Word

• मयि: in me
• मयि: Adhikarana (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: अस्मद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: उत्तमपुरुष-सर्वनाम, सप्तमी (7/अधिकरण), एकवचन — locative singular

• भक्तिः: devotion
• भक्तिः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: भक्ति (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1/कर्ता), एकवचन — nominative singular

• तव: your
• तव: Sambandha (Genitive relation/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: युष्मद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: मध्यमपुरुष-सर्वनाम, षष्ठी (6/सम्बन्ध), एकवचन — genitive singular

• अस्ति: is
• अस्ति: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: अस् (धातु)
• Form: लट् (वर्तमान), प्रथमपुरुष, एकवचन — present, 3rd person singular

• एव: indeed
• एव: Nipata (Particle/निपात)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: एव (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय — निश्चयार्थक/अवधारण (particle of emphasis)

• भूयः: again, further
• भूयः: Kriya-visheshana (Adverbial/क्रियाविशेषण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: भूयस् (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय — क्रियाविशेषण (adverb)

• अपि: also, even
• अपि: Nipata (Particle/निपात)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: अपि (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय — समुच्चय/अपि-कार (particle: also/even)

• एवम्: thus, in this way
• एवम्: Kriya-visheshana (Adverbial/क्रियाविशेषण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: एवम् (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय — प्रकारवाचक क्रियाविशेषण (adverb of manner)

• भविष्यति: will be
• भविष्यति: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: भू (धातु)
• Form: लृट् (भविष्यत्काल), प्रथमपुरुष, एकवचन — future, 3rd person singular

• वरः: a boon
• वरः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: वर (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1/कर्ता), एकवचन — nominative singular

• च: and
• च: Samuccaya (Conjunction/समुच्चय)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: च (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय — समुच्चयार्थक (conjunction)

• मत्तः: from me
• मत्तः: Apadana (Source/अपादान)
• Type: Noun
• Root: अस्मद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: उत्तमपुरुष-सर्वनाम, पञ्चमी (5/अपादान), एकवचन — ablative singular

• प्रह्लाद: O Prahlāda
• प्रह्लाद: Sambodhana (Address/सम्बोधन)
• Type: Noun
• Root: प्रह्लाद (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, सम्बोधन (8/सम्बोधन), एकवचन — vocative singular

• व्रियताम्: let (it) be chosen
• व्रियताम्: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: वृ (धातु)
• Form: लोट् (आज्ञार्थ), प्रथमपुरुष, एकवचन — imperative, 3rd person singular; आत्मनेपद (passive/आत्मनेपद-प्रयोगः): ‘let (it) be chosen’

• यः: which (boon)
• यः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: यद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1/कर्ता), एकवचन — nominative singular; सम्बन्धक (relative pronoun) ‘which/that’

• तव: your
• तव: Sambandha (Genitive relation/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: युष्मद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: मध्यमपुरुष-सर्वनाम, षष्ठी (6/सम्बन्ध), एकवचन — genitive singular

• ईप्सितः: desired, wished-for
• ईप्सितः: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: आप्/ईप्स् (धातु) → ईप्सित (कृदन्त-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: भूतकृदन्त (क्त), पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1/कर्ता), एकवचन — nominative singular; विशेषणम् ‘यः (वरः)’ = desired

Speaker

Lord Vishnu (as Narasiṃha) addressing Prahlāda (as narrated by Sage Parāśara to Maitreya)

Parashara-Maitreya Dialogue

Speaker: Parasara

Topic: The Lord’s assurance to His devotee and the nature of boons

Teaching: Devotional

Quality: authoritative

Avatara Context

Avatara: Narasimha

Purpose: He confirms the perpetuity of Prahlāda’s devotion across time and again offers a boon, demonstrating divine responsiveness to bhakti.

Leela: Moksha-dana

Dharma Restored: Assurance of enduring bhakti and the Lord’s boon-bestowing compassion

Philosophical Teaching

Concept: The Lord Himself guarantees the continuity of devotion and invites the devotee to ask, showing that bhakti draws divine commitment.

Vedantic Theme: Moksha

Application: Trust continuity: even if practice fluctuates, return repeatedly; treat setbacks as ‘again and again’ opportunities to re-enter devotion.

Vishishtadvaita: The Lord’s protecting initiative (rakṣakatva) sustains the devotee’s path, aligning with grace-centered liberation in qualified non-dualism.

Prahlada Narrative

Phase: Triumph

Bhakti Quality: Divine assurance (niścaya) that bhakti is protected and perpetuated by the Lord

Narasimha: The Lord assures Prahlāda that devotion will persist ‘again and again’ and invites him once more to choose any boon.

Vaishnava Theology

Vishnu Form: Hari

Bhakti Type: Shanta

Characters & Entities

• Vishnu
• Narasimha
• Prahlada

FAQs

What is the significance of Prahlāda’s devotion in the Vishnu Purana?

This verse highlights bhakti as enduring and divinely affirmed—Vishnu recognizes Prahlāda’s devotion and declares it will persist repeatedly, making bhakti the central saving force.

How does Sage Parāśara explain divine grace in this episode?

Through the Lord’s direct speech, the narrative frames grace as a response to steadfast devotion: Vishnu not only protects the devotee but also invites him to choose a boon.

What is the theological importance of Lord Vishnu here?

Vishnu appears as the supreme, personal reality who both witnesses devotion and freely bestows blessings, reinforcing Vaishnava theology that the Lord is sovereign and compassionately accessible to bhaktas.