Vamana Purana — Prahlada's Instructions to Bali, Shloka 22

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

Devanagari script

गोदानानि पवित्राणि भूमिदानानि चानघ वस्त्रान्नस्वर्णदानानि प्रीतये मधुघातिनः

Transliteration

godānāni pavitrāṇi bhūmidānāni cānagha vastrānnasvarṇadānāni prītaye madhughātinaḥ

Translation

اے بےگناہ! گائے کا دان پاکیزگی بخشنے والا ہے اور زمین کا دان بھی؛ اسی طرح کپڑوں، اناج اور سونے کا دان مدھو گھاتی (وشنو) کی خوشنودی کے لیے ہے۔

Speakers

• Didactic narration addressing an interlocutor as ‘anagha’ (O blameless one); exact speaker-addressee not provided in the excerpt.

Primary Deities

• Vishnu (Madhughātin)

Key Themes

• Dana (Charity) hierarchy and merit
• Purificatory power of go-dāna and bhūmi-dāna
• Devotional intent (prīti) as the aim of giving

Verse Rasa (Emotional Flavour)

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

FAQs

Why are go-dāna (cow-gift) and bhūmi-dāna (land-gift) called ‘pavitra’ (purifying)?

In Purāṇic dharma, cows and land sustain sacrifice, livelihood, and hospitality across generations. Their donation is treated as socially foundational and thus spiritually purificatory, removing demerit through enduring benefit.

Is the verse teaching that only these gifts please Viṣṇu?

No. It lists exemplary dānas—cows, land, clothing, food, gold—as paradigmatic. The broader teaching is that giving with devotional intention (prītaye) is what makes the act spiritually efficacious.

What does the epithet ‘Madhughātin’ contribute here?

It identifies Hari as the cosmic protector who destroys demonic obstruction (Madhu). The donor’s act is framed as aligning with that protective, dharma-sustaining divinity.