Vamana Purana — Prahlada's Instructions to Bali, Shloka 12

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

Devanagari script

विशेषतः प्रवक्ष्यामि पुष्पाणि तिथयस्तथा दानानि च प्रशस्तानि माधवप्रीणनाय तु / 68.11 जाती शताह्वा सुमनाः कुन्दं बहुपुटं तथा बाणञ्च चम्पकाशोकं करवीरं च यूथिका

Transliteration

viśeṣataḥ pravakṣyāmi puṣpāṇi tithayastathā dānāni ca praśastāni mādhavaprīṇanāya tu / 68.11 jātī śatāhvā sumanāḥ kundaṃ bahupuṭaṃ tathā bāṇañca campakāśokaṃ karavīraṃ ca yūthikā

Translation

บัดนี้เราจักกล่าวโดยเฉพาะถึงดอกไม้ ติถี (วันจันทรคติ) และทานอันน่าสรรเสริญ เพื่อยังพระมาธวะให้ยินดี (ดอกไม้คือ:) ชาติ, ศตาหวา, สุมะนา, กุนทะ, พหุปุฏะ, พาณะ, จัมปกะ, อโศกะ, กรวีระ และ ยูถิกา.

Speakers

• (Unspecified in excerpt) Teacher-narrator instructing an interlocutor about Mādhava worship

Primary Deities

• Vishnu (Mādhava)

Key Themes

• Ritual calendrics (tithi)
• Dana (charity) as devotion
• Flower-offerings in Vaiṣṇava worship
• Normative lists (praśasta-dravya)

Verse Rasa (Emotional Flavour)

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

FAQs

Why does the verse mention tithis and dānas but then list flowers?

The line functions as a heading: the speaker promises a structured exposition—(1) flowers, (2) tithis, and (3) gifts—considered especially efficacious for Mādhava’s satisfaction. The excerpt preserves the flower-list portion.

Are these flowers meant for offering (arcana) or for gifting (dāna)?

Primarily for offering in worship (arcana), though Purāṇic practice often overlaps: flowers can be offered to the deity and also donated to temples, brāhmaṇas, or for festival worship as a meritorious act.

Do names like śatāhvā, sumanā, and bāṇa have fixed botanical meanings?

Not always. Purāṇic and nighaṇṭu vocabularies preserve regional plant-names; identifications can shift across time and geography. The ritual point is their auspicious status and suitability as fragrant, pleasing offerings.