Vamana Purana — Gift of Sudarshana, Shloka 45

The Gift of Sudarshana: Shiva’s Boon to Vishnu and the Sanctification of Virupaksha

Devanagari script

तन्मातुर्वचनं श्रुत्वा वीतमन्युसुतो बली तमाराध्य विरूपाक्षं प्राप्तः क्षीरेण भोजनम्

Transliteration

tanmāturvacanaṃ śrutvā vītamanyusuto balī tamārādhya virūpākṣaṃ prāptaḥ kṣīreṇa bhojanam

Translation

[{"question": "Why would a Purāṇa prescribe worship of the ‘guhya’ (secret region)?", "answer": "In aṅga-pūjā systems, the body is treated as a sacred map; even ‘hidden’ regions are ritually acknowledged to sacralize the whole person and to discipline desire through regulated worship rather than indulgence. The term guhya also signals guardedness and purity in conduct."}, {"question": "What is the ritual logic of giving cow’s milk at this point?", "answer": "Cow’s milk (payo gavyam) is a classic sattvic offering associated with nourishment, purity, and auspiciousness. Paired with brāhmaṇa-feeding, it frames the rite as both devotional and charitable, converting personal observance into social merit (puṇya)."}, {"question": "Are the Phālgunī nakṣatras connected to any broader symbolism here?", "answer": "The verse itself only uses them as calendrical markers. In wider Indic symbolism, Phālgunī is often associated with prosperity and enjoyment; the prescription may be readVamana Purana,56,46,VamP 56.46,evaṃ tavoktaṃ paramaṃ pavitraṃ saṃchedanaṃ śarvatanoḥ purā vai tattīrthavaryaṃ sa mahāsuro vai samāsasādātha supuṇyahetoḥ,एवं तवोक्तं परमं पवित्रं संछेदनं शर्वतनोः पुरा वै तत्तीर्थवर्यं स महासुरो वै समाससादाथ सुपुण्यहेतोः,Vamana-Bali Narrative,Tirtha Mahima / Etiology of a sacred ford,Adhyaya 56 (title not supplied in input; conclusion: approach to a ‘best tīrtha’ connected with Śarva/Śiva),56.46,evaṃ tavoktaṃ paramaṃ pavitraṃ

Speakers

• Narrative voice (reporting Bali’s response to his mother’s instruction).

Primary Deities

• Shiva

Key Themes

• Efficacy of maternal counsel (mātṛ-vākya)
• Śiva devotion across asura lineages
• Boons as immediate, tangible sustenance (kṣīra-bhojana)
• Dharma of worship (ārādhana)

Verse Rasa (Emotional Flavour)

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

FAQs

Who is ‘Vītamanyu’ here, and why is Bali identified through him?

The verse uses a patronymic (‘Vītamanyu-suta’) to anchor Bali within a specific genealogical framing used by this recension/section. Such identifiers often vary across Purāṇic tellings and serve to localize or emphasize a particular lineage tradition.

What is the narrative function of ‘milk as food’ (kṣīreṇa bhojanam)?

It signals an immediate, life-sustaining boon—often used in Purāṇic narratives to show that devotion yields not only metaphysical merit but also practical preservation, especially during hardship, exile, or austerity.

Does this verse imply sectarian superiority of Śiva?

It presents Śiva as highly efficacious (‘Virūpākṣa’ granting a boon), but within the broader chapter context (including Viṣṇu’s worship of Śiva and vice versa across Purāṇas), it typically functions to teach inter-deity reverence and the universality of devotion rather than exclusivism.