Shloka 40

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

Devanagari script

अपि नः स कुले कश्चिद् विष्णुभक्तो भविष्यति हरिमन्दिरकर्ता यो भविष्यति शिचिव्रतः

Transliteration

api naḥ sa kule kaścid viṣṇubhakto bhaviṣyati harimandirakartā yo bhaviṣyati śicivrataḥ

Translation

کیا ہمارے خاندان میں کوئی ایسا وِشنو بھکت ہوگا جو ہری کا مندر تعمیر کرے اور شُچی ورت میں ثابت قدم رہے؟

Speakers

• Ancestral/Pitṛ-voiced aspiration or lineage-reflection addressed within the narrative to a Daitya (exact speaker not explicit in excerpt)

Primary Deities

• Viṣṇu
• Hari

Key Themes

• Bhakti (devotion)
• Temple construction (mandira-karaṇa) as merit
• Purity and vows (śuci-vrata)
• Transformation of Daitya lineage through dharma

Verse Rasa (Emotional Flavour)

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

FAQs

Why is building a ‘Harimandira’ highlighted as a defining act of dharma?

In Purāṇic dharma discourse, temple-building is a high-merit public act (sādhāraṇa-puṇya) that establishes a lasting locus for worship, charity, and ritual. It is treated as a concrete embodiment of bhakti and as a means of elevating one’s lineage.

What does ‘śuci-vrata’ imply—ritual purity, moral purity, or both?

Both. ‘Śuci’ spans external cleanliness (required for pūjā) and internal purity (truthfulness, restraint). ‘Vrata’ indicates sustained discipline. Together they describe a devotee whose worship is supported by ethical and ritual integrity.

How does this verse fit a Daitya-centered narrative?

It frames a moral aspiration: even lineages stereotyped as ‘daitya’ can seek redemption and honor through devotion to Viṣṇu and service to sacred institutions. This is a common Purāṇic strategy to universalize bhakti and dharma.