Vamana Purana — Bali's Sudarshana Worship, Shloka 18

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

Devanagari script

इत्येवमुक्त्वा मतिमान् समभ्यर्च्याथ भक्तितः संस्मरन् पुण्डरीकाक्षं सर्वपापप्रणासनम्

Transliteration

ityevamuktvā matimān samabhyarcyātha bhaktitaḥ saṃsmaran puṇḍarīkākṣaṃ sarvapāpapraṇāsanam

Translation

[{"question": "What is ‘Jajñavāṭa’ in this context?", "answer": "The term indicates a specific named ritual locality—likely a sacrificial precinct or grove (vāṭa) associated with yajña activity. In Purāṇic geography, such named vāṭas often function as identifiable pilgrimage nodes tied to a narrative event."}, {"question": "Why does the text emphasize that Vāmana ‘spoke aloud’?", "answer": "It marks a formal public address within a sacrificial setting, where declarations, requests, and ritual permissions must be heard by the patron (Bali), priests, and assembly—setting up the forthcoming ‘request’ motif central to the Vāmana narrative."}, {"question": "Is this verse part of the chapter colophon?", "answer": "Yes. It includes a chapter-ending notice for Adhyāya 64 and immediately begins the narrative of Adhyāya 65, a common Purāṇic editorial practice."}]

Speakers

• Narrator to the listening sage (mune) within the Pulastya–Nārada frame typical of this section (speaker not explicit in the verse).

Primary Deities

• Vishnu

Key Themes

• Bhakti (devotional worship)
• Smaraṇa (remembrance of God)
• Pāpa-kṣaya (destruction of sin)
• Vaishnava devotion within the Bali narrative

Verse Rasa (Emotional Flavour)

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

FAQs

Who is the “Puṇḍarīkākṣa” remembered here, and why is this epithet used in the Bali cycle?

Puṇḍarīkākṣa is Viṣṇu, “lotus‑eyed,” a standard Vaiṣṇava epithet emphasizing auspiciousness and compassion. In the Bali narrative it underscores that even when Viṣṇu’s power subdues the asuras, His nature remains salvific—remembrance of Him is said to erase sin.

What practice is being highlighted—ritual worship or mental devotion?

Both: samabhyarcya indicates formal reverence/worship, while saṃsmaran highlights inner recollection (smaraṇa). The verse presents bhakti as a combined discipline of outward homage and inward meditation.

Does “sarvapāpapraṇāśanam” imply automatic absolution?

In Purāṇic idiom it signals the extraordinary purifying potency of Viṣṇu-smaraṇa; it is typically framed as effective when joined with devotion (bhakti) and right intention, rather than as a purely mechanical guarantee.