Vamana Purana — Bali's Sudarshana Worship, Shloka 57

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

Devanagari script

वृथा यज्ञा वृता वेदा वृथा दानं वृथा श्रुतम् वृथा तपश्च कीर्तिश्च यो द्वेष्टि मधुसूदनम्

Transliteration

vṛthā yajñā vṛtā vedā vṛthā dānaṃ vṛthā śrutam vṛthā tapaśca kīrtiśca yo dveṣṭi madhusūdanam

Translation

वृथा यज्ञा वृथा वेदा वृथा दानं वृथा श्रुतम्। वृथा तपश्च कीर्तिश्च यो द्वेष्टि मधुसूदनम्॥

Speakers

• Not specified in input (within Adhyāya 67’s didactic discourse; likely a sage-narrator addressing an inquirer).

Primary Deities

• Vishnu (Madhusūdana)

Key Themes

• Primacy of Bhakti over ritualism
• Futility of dharma-acts without devotion
• Condemnation of dveṣa (hatred) toward the Lord
• Soteriology through Viṣṇu-bhakti

Verse Rasa (Emotional Flavour)

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

FAQs

Does the verse reject yajña, Veda-study, dāna, and tapas altogether?

No. It critiques their spiritual efficacy when accompanied by hostility toward Viṣṇu. The point is that orthodox acts (karma and jñāna) become barren if the practitioner is rooted in dveṣa against the divine source of dharma.

Why is the epithet “Madhusūdana” used here?

Madhusūdana evokes Viṣṇu as the destroyer of demonic obstruction (Madhu). In a moral register, hatred toward such a protector-Lord is portrayed as self-defeating, nullifying one’s religious capital.

How does this fit a Purāṇic geography/tīrtha context?

In tīrtha-mahātmya sections, Purāṇas often pair place-merit with inner qualification. This verse supplies the inner criterion: pilgrimage, gifts, and rites bear fruit only when aligned with devotion rather than sectarian malice.