Shloka 54

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

Devanagari script

वासोभिर्भूषणै रत्नैर्गौभिर्भूकनकादिभिः विभवे सति देवस्य प्रीणनं कुरु चक्रिणः

Transliteration

vāsobhirbhūṣaṇai ratnairgaubhirbhūkanakādibhiḥ vibhave sati devasya prīṇanaṃ kuru cakriṇaḥ

Translation

विभवे सति चक्रिणो देवस्य वासोभिर्भूषणै रत्नैर्गौभिर्भूमिकनकादिभिश्च दानैः प्रीणनं कुरु।

Speakers

• Implied narrator/teacher voice within the Pulastya–Nārada frame (exact addressee not explicit in this verse)

Primary Deities

• Vishnu

Key Themes

• Dāna (charity)
• Bhakti (devotion)
• Pleasing Viṣṇu through offerings
• Ethics of wealth (using means for dharma)

Verse Rasa (Emotional Flavour)

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

FAQs

Is this verse prescribing a mandatory ritual, or a general dharma guideline?

It functions as a dharma guideline: when one has vibhava (capacity), one should employ wealth in devotional giving to please Viṣṇu. The conditional “vibhave sati” signals proportionality—giving according to means.

Why are cows and land singled out among gifts?

Go-dāna and bhū-dāna are classical high-merit gifts in Purāṇic dharma discourse: cows sustain sacrifice and livelihood; land supports long-term religious endowments and social welfare.

Does “cakriṇaḥ” indicate a specific avatāra like Vāmana/Trivikrama?

No; “cakrin” is a general epithet of Viṣṇu as the Sudarśana-cakra bearer. In the broader Vāmana Purāṇa narrative world it harmonizes with Vāmana/Trivikrama devotion, but the verse itself does not specify that form.