Vamana Purana — Bali's Sudarshana Worship, Shloka 1

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

Devanagari script

इति श्रीवामनपुराणे षट्षष्टितमो ऽध्यायः पुलस्त्य उवाच गत्वा रसातलं दैत्यो महार्हमणिचित्रितम् शुद्धस्फटिसोपानं कारयामास वै पुरम्

Transliteration

iti śrīvāmanapurāṇe ṣaṭṣaṣṭitamo 'dhyāyaḥ pulastya uvāca gatvā rasātalaṃ daityo mahārhamaṇicitritam śuddhasphaṭisopānaṃ kārayāmāsa vai puram

Translation

“Thus (ends) the sixty-sixth chapter in the Śrī Vāmana Purāṇa. Pulastya said: ‘Having gone to Rasātala, the Daitya caused a city to be built—adorned with precious jewels, with stairways of pure crystal.’”

Speakers

• Pulastya to Nārada (narrative continuation)

Primary Deities

• Daityas (Bali implied)

Key Themes

• Aftermath of Trivikrama’s act
• Netherworld polity and splendor
• Purāṇic cosmography (pātāla realms)
• Royal/architectural imagery (jeweled city, crystal stairs)

Verse Rasa (Emotional Flavour)

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

FAQs

Why does the text describe a jeweled city in Rasātala?

Purāṇas often portray the pātāla realms as materially resplendent. The jeweled/cystal imagery underscores that Bali’s displacement is not mere ruin; it is a re-establishment of sovereignty in a different cosmic zone.

Is this verse a colophon or part of the narrative?

It contains both: the first line is a chapter-colophon closing Adhyāya 66, followed by the opening narrative statement of Adhyāya 67 attributed to Pulastya.

Does this have tirtha-yātrā relevance if no river or shrine is named?

Indirectly, yes: Vāmana Purāṇa’s ‘geography’ includes cosmological mapping (upper and lower worlds). Rasātala functions as a ‘place’ within sacred cosmography, framing later terrestrial tirtha descriptions by situating them in a multi-tiered universe.