Vamana Purana — Prahlada's Instructions to Bali, Shloka 64

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

Devanagari script

इदं च वृत्तं स पपाठ दैत्यराट् स्मरन् सुवाक्यानि गुरोः शुभानि तथ्यानि पथ्यानि परत्र चेह पितामहस्येन्द्रसमस्य वीरः

Transliteration

idaṃ ca vṛttaṃ sa papāṭha daityarāṭ smaran suvākyāni guroḥ śubhāni tathyāni pathyāni paratra ceha pitāmahasyendrasamasya vīraḥ

Translation

And this account the Daitya-king recited/pondered, remembering the auspicious, well-spoken words of his guru—true and wholesome, beneficial both here and in the world beyond—(those words) of the heroic grandsire who was equal to Indra.

Speakers

• Narrator describing Bali’s recollection of his guru’s counsel (implicitly Śukrācārya) and ancestral authority.

Primary Deities

• Vishnu (Hari)

Key Themes

• Guru-vākya (authority of the teacher’s counsel)
• Satya and pathya (truth and salutary instruction)
• Ethics spanning this world and the next (iha–paratra)
• Memory as moral reinforcement
• Ideal kingship through restraint and counsel

Verse Rasa (Emotional Flavour)

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

FAQs

Who is ‘the guru’ whose words Bali remembers?

Within the Vāmana–Bali cycle, Bali’s guru is classically Śukrācārya, the preceptor of the Daityas. The verse stresses that the guru’s counsel is both ‘tathya’ (true) and ‘pathya’ (wholesome), i.e., ethically and spiritually sound.

What is the significance of ‘iha’ and ‘paratra’ together?

It frames dharmic instruction as having dual efficacy: it stabilizes conduct and welfare in this life (iha) and shapes destiny after death (paratra). The verse thus presents moral counsel as comprehensive, not merely pragmatic.

How should ‘pitāmaha… indrasamasya’ be understood?

It is an honorific characterization of an authoritative elder/forebear described as ‘Indra-like’ in stature. The phrasing elevates the source of counsel as venerable and exemplary, reinforcing the legitimacy of the instruction Bali follows.