Vamana Purana — Prahlada's Instructions to Bali, Shloka 1

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

Devanagari script

इति श्रीवामनपुराणे सप्तषष्टितमो ऽध्यायः बलिरुवाच भवता कथितं सर्वं समाराध्य जनार्दनम् या गतिः प्राप्यते लोके तां मे वक्तुमिहार्हसि

Transliteration

iti śrīvāmanapurāṇe saptaṣaṣṭitamo 'dhyāyaḥ baliruvāca bhavatā kathitaṃ sarvaṃ samārādhya janārdanam yā gatiḥ prāpyate loke tāṃ me vaktumihārhasi

Translation

Thus, in the Śrī Vāmana Purāṇa, the sixty-eighth chapter begins. Bali said: “You have explained everything about propitiating Janārdana. Now you should tell me here what ‘state’ (gati)—what ultimate destination—is attained in this world by such worship.”

Speakers

• Bali to (the narrator/teacher in the dialogue context of the Vāmana–Bali cycle)

Primary Deities

• Vishnu (Janardana)

Key Themes

• Bhakti as means (upāsanā)
• Phala-śruti orientation (question about results)
• Soteriology (gati)
• Teacher–disciple inquiry pattern

Verse Rasa (Emotional Flavour)

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

FAQs

What does Bali mean by ‘gati’ here—heaven, liberation, or Vaikuṇṭha?

In Purāṇic discourse, gati is a flexible term: it can denote heavenly enjoyment (svarga), a specific divine realm (e.g., Vaikuṇṭha), or liberation-like proximity/union with the deity. Bali’s question typically prompts the text to specify the graded fruits of Viṣṇu-worship—often moving from worldly welfare to higher, enduring attainments.

Why is Viṣṇu addressed as Janārdana in this context?

Janārdana highlights Viṣṇu’s compassionate, protective function—one who removes the ‘jana-ardana’ (affliction/oppression of beings). In the Bali narrative, this name underscores that even when Viṣṇu subdues pride or restores cosmic order, the act is ultimately salvific and benevolent.

Does this verse contain any tīrtha-geography data?

No. It is a dialogic transition verse introducing Bali’s inquiry. The geography-centric material of the Vāmana Purāṇa appears elsewhere; here the focus is on doctrinal outcomes of worship rather than place-based merit.