Vamana Purana — Bali's Sudarshana Worship, Shloka 41

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

Devanagari script

येषां मनसि गोविन्दो निवासी सततं बले न ते परिभवं यान्ति न मृत्योरुद्विजन्ति च

Transliteration

yeṣāṃ manasi govindo nivāsī satataṃ bale na te paribhavaṃ yānti na mṛtyorudvijanti ca

Translation

வல்லவனே! யாருடைய மனத்தில் கோவிந்தன் எப்போதும் வாசம் செய்கிறானோ, அவர்கள் அவமானத்தை அடையார்; மரணத்திற்கும் அஞ்சார்।

Speakers

• Unspecified in the provided excerpt (speaker addresses the listener as ‘bale’
• ‘O mighty one’).

Primary Deities

• Vishnu

Key Themes

• Smaraṇa (constant remembrance)
• Inner devotion over external fear
• Fearlessness at death (mṛtyu-bhaya-nivṛtti)
• Honor/dignity through devotion

Verse Rasa (Emotional Flavour)

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

FAQs

How does ‘Govinda dwelling in the mind’ function in Purāṇic bhakti?

It indicates sustained remembrance (smaraṇa) and interior devotion, where the deity is not only worshipped externally but becomes the stable center of consciousness—producing steadiness, dignity, and fearlessness.

What is meant by ‘paribhava’ here—social insult or spiritual defeat?

Both senses are available: worldly dishonor and existential defeat. The verse suggests that devotion grants resilience against social reversals and also prevents the deeper ‘defeat’ of being overwhelmed by saṃsāric fear.

Why is fear of death singled out?

Mṛtyu-bhaya is treated as the most universal anxiety. The text claims that constant God-remembrance transforms one’s relation to impermanence, making death non-terrifying because the devotee’s refuge is in the eternal.