Vamana Purana — Merit of Shravana Dvadashi, Shloka 81

The Merit of Śravaṇa-Dvādaśī and the Liberation of a Preta through Gayā Piṇḍa-Rites

Devanagari script

इत्येवमुक्ते वचने महात्मना विहस्य दैत्याधिपतिः सऋत्विजः प्रादाद् द्विजेन्द्राय पदत्रयं तदा यदा स नान्यं प्रगृहाण किञ्चित्

Transliteration

ityevamukte vacane mahātmanā vihasya daityādhipatiḥ saṛtvijaḥ prādād dvijendrāya padatrayaṃ tadā yadā sa nānyaṃ pragṛhāṇa kiñcit

Translation

When these words were spoken by the great-souled one, the lord of the Daityas—together with his officiating priests—smiled and then granted the three steps to the foremost of Brahmins, at that very time, for he (Vāmana) accepted nothing else whatsoever.

Speakers

• Narrator describing Bali’s response to Vāmana (implicit audience within the Purāṇic dialogue)

Primary Deities

• Vishnu (Vāmana)
• Bali

Key Themes

• Ritual propriety of dāna (presence of ṛtviks)
• Bali’s generosity and resolve
• The ‘small request’ motif
• Karmic and moral weight of gifting

Verse Rasa (Emotional Flavour)

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

FAQs

Why are the ṛtviks (officiating priests) mentioned in Bali’s act of giving?

Their presence signals that the grant is not casual but ritually sanctioned—performed within a sacrificial/royal gifting framework. In Purāṇic ethics, such formalization intensifies the binding force of the donation.

What is the significance of calling Vāmana “dvijendra” (best of Brahmins)?

It underscores Vāmana’s brahminical guise and the dharmic expectation that a king honors a brahmin petitioner. The epithet also heightens the irony: the ‘brahmin dwarf’ is the supreme Lord.

What does “he accepted nothing else” convey?

It emphasizes Vāmana’s strict adherence to the stated request, portraying him as precise and vow-bound. This sharpens the narrative tension: the limited request will still encompass the cosmos once Trivikrama manifests.