Vamana Purana — Kali's Complaint to Brahma (Part 1), Shloka 45

Kali’s Complaint to Brahma and the Arrival of Śrī (Jayaśrī) in Bali’s Court

Devanagari script

तपो ऽध्ययनसंपन्ना याजनाध्यापने रताः सन्तु विप्रा बले पूज्यास्त्वत्तो ऽनुज्ञामवाप्य हि / 48.44 स्वाध्याययज्ञनिरता दातारः शस्त्रजीविनः क्षत्रियाः सन्तु दैत्येन्द्र प्रजापालनधर्मिणः

Transliteration

tapo 'dhyayanasaṃpannā yājanādhyāpane ratāḥ santu viprā bale pūjyāstvatto 'nujñāmavāpya hi / 48.44 svādhyāyayajñaniratā dātāraḥ śastrajīvinaḥ kṣatriyāḥ santu daityendra prajāpālanadharmiṇaḥ

Translation

তপস্যা ও অধ্যয়নে সমৃদ্ধ, যজ্ঞ করানো ও অধ্যাপনে রত ব্রাহ্মণরা হোক; হে বলি, তোমার অনুমতি লাভ করে তারা পূজ্য হোক। আর হে দৈত্যেন্দ্র, ক্ষত্রিয়রা স্বাধ্যায় ও যজ্ঞে নিবিষ্ট, দানশীল, অস্ত্রজীবী, এবং প্রজাপালনকে ধর্মরূপে পালনকারী হোক।

Speakers

• Normative instruction addressed to Bali (Daityendra) within the Bali-governance section (exact speaker not specified in the excerpt).

Primary Deities

• Vishnu

Key Themes

• Varna-dharma
• Raja-dharma
• Brahmin roles (teaching, officiating)
• Kshatriya duty (protection, generosity)
• Social authorization and patronage

Verse Rasa (Emotional Flavour)

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

FAQs

Why is “permission” (anujñā) from Bali mentioned for honoring Brahmins?

It signals the king’s administrative role in patronage and public honor. Even when Brahmins are intrinsically ‘pūjya’ by dharma, the polity’s functioning requires royal sanction—land grants, ritual sponsorship, and protection—so that religious institutions operate securely.

How does the verse define Kṣatriya identity?

By a triad: (1) svādhyāya-yajña orientation (Vedic anchoring), (2) dāna (generosity/patronage), and (3) śastra-jīvin (professional readiness to use force). All are subordinated to prajā-pālana—protecting and sustaining the people.

Is this teaching sectarian (Vaiṣṇava/Śaiva), or broadly dharmic?

These lines are broadly dharmic and polity-oriented. In the Vāmana-Purāṇa’s narrative frame, such teachings often function to show that even an Asura king like Bali can rule in alignment with dharma, setting the stage for later theological developments in the Vāmana cycle.