Shloka 36

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

Devanagari script

यद्यदिष्टतमं किञ्चिद्यद्वाप्यस्ति शुचि गृहे तत्तद्वि देयं प्रीत्यर्थं देवदेवाय चक्रिणे

Transliteration

yadyadiṣṭatamaṃ kiñcidyadvāpyasti śuci gṛhe tattadvi deyaṃ prītyarthaṃ devadevāya cakriṇe

Translation

यत्किञ्चिदिष्टतमं वस्तु यद्वा शुचि गृहे विद्यते, तत्सर्वं प्रीत्यर्थं देवदेवाय चक्रिणे विष्णवे दातव्यमेव।

Speakers

• (Contextual frame of Adhyaya 68) A Purāṇic narrator instructs the listener on merit gained by offerings to Keśava; exact interlocutors not specified in the given excerpt.

Primary Deities

• Vishnu (Keśava/Cakrin)

Key Themes

• Dana (charity)
• Bhakti expressed through gifting
• Temple-centered devotion (mandira-sevā)
• Merit (puṇya) through offerings to Viṣṇu

Verse Rasa (Emotional Flavour)

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

FAQs

Why does the verse emphasize giving what is ‘most cherished’ (iṣṭatama) rather than surplus goods?

The teaching frames dāna as an act of prīti (loving devotion), not mere disposal. Offering what is personally valued signals surrender of attachment and intensifies the devotional intention, which is central to Purāṇic merit logic.

Who is ‘Cakrin’ here, and why is that epithet used?

Cakrin means ‘the one who bears the cakra (discus),’ a standard epithet of Viṣṇu. The epithet evokes Viṣṇu’s protective sovereignty and reinforces that the gift is directed to the supreme divine recipient.

Is this instruction about ritual offering or social charity?

The wording ‘deyaṃ… devadevāya’ points primarily to devotional gifting directed to Viṣṇu (including temple/service contexts). In Purāṇic practice this often overlaps with feeding devotees, supporting worship, and endowing temple needs—acts treated as offerings to the deity.