Vamana Purana — Bali's Sudarshana Worship, Shloka 50

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

Devanagari script

आसीनः सर्वदेहेषु कर्मभिर्न स बध्यते येषां विष्णुः प्रियोन्त्यन्ते विष्णोः सततं प्रियाः

Transliteration

āsīnaḥ sarvadeheṣu karmabhirna sa badhyate yeṣāṃ viṣṇuḥ priyontyante viṣṇoḥ satataṃ priyāḥ

Translation

Though situated within all bodies, he is not bound by actions. Those for whom Viṣṇu is dear at the end (of life)—they are ever dear to Viṣṇu.

Speakers

• Not specified in the excerpt (didactic continuation within Adhyaya 67).

Primary Deities

• Vishnu

Key Themes

• Antaryāmin (indwelling divinity)
• Karma and non-binding transcendence
• Bhakti reciprocity (mutual dearness)
• Smaraṇa at death (antakāla-bhakti)
• Mokṣa orientation

Verse Rasa (Emotional Flavour)

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

FAQs

Who is ‘not bound by actions’ though present in all bodies?

The line points to the Lord as the indwelling ruler (antaryāmin) who pervades embodied life yet remains untouched by karma—actions bind the finite agent, not the transcendent divine ground.

What does ‘Viṣṇu dear at the end’ emphasize?

It highlights the soteriological importance of final remembrance/attachment: the mind’s culminating orientation (ante) is treated as spiritually decisive, aligning with broader Purāṇic and Gītā-style teachings on antakāla-smaraṇa.

How does this relate to tīrtha-oriented chapters like Saromāhātmya?

Even within geography-māhātmya material, the Purāṇa repeatedly anchors tīrtha merit in inner disposition—devotion and remembrance—so sacred place and sacred consciousness reinforce each other rather than compete.