Agni Purana — Veda-vidhana & Vamsha, Shloka 14
Chapter 275 — द्वादशसङ्ग्रामाः
The Twelve Battles
देवासुरे वामनश् च छलित्वा बलिमूर्जितम् महेन्द्राय ददौ राज्यं काश्यपो ऽदितिसम्भवः
devāsure vāmanaś ca chalitvā balimūrjitam mahendrāya dadau rājyaṃ kāśyapo 'ditisambhavaḥ
Und im Streit zwischen Göttern und Asuras überlistete Vāmana den mächtigen Bali und gab die Königsherrschaft Mahendra (Indra) zurück—dem aus Aditi Geborenen, aus der Linie Kaśyapas.
Lord Agni (traditional Agni Purana frame: Agni instructing the sage Vasiṣṭha)
Vidya Category: {"primary_vidya":"Avatara-Katha","secondary_vidya":"Arthashastra","practical_application":"Illustrates strategic diplomacy and lawful recovery of sovereignty; used to teach measured negotiation, oath/boon management, and restoration of rightful rule.","sutra_style":false}
Encyclopedic Reference: {"reference_type":"Description","entry_title":"Vāmana Avatāra: Bali-chalana and Indra-rājya-pratiṣṭhā","lookup_keywords":["Vāmana","Bali","chala (outwitting)","Indra/Mahendra","Aditi-Kaśyapa"],"quick_summary":"Vāmana employs measured stratagem to check Bali’s overreach and restores Indra’s kingship—showing dharma-guided statecraft and the power of vows/boons."}
Alamkara Type: Arthāntaranyāsa (moral implication through narrative); Saṅkṣepa (compressed episode)
Concept: Power must be bounded by dharma; even great might (ūrjita Bali) yields to truth-bound vow and divine order.
Application: In governance/negotiation: use proportionate means, honor commitments, and restore legitimate authority without needless violence.
Khanda Section: Avataras (Vishnu’s Incarnations and Puranic Itihasa)
Primary Rasa: Vira
Secondary Rasa: Adbhuta
Type: Mythic kingdom
Visual Art Cues: {"scene_description":"Vāmana as a small brāhmaṇa approaches Bali, receives the gift, and Indra’s kingship is symbolically returned.","kerala_mural_prompt":"Kerala mural: Vāmana with umbrella and kamaṇḍalu before Bali’s yajña scene, priests and fire altar, Indra in upper register receiving regained throne, flat iconic figures, rich ochres and greens.","tanjore_prompt":"Tanjore: Vāmana with gold halo, Bali offering water in dāna gesture, ornate yajña pavilion, gold embossing on ornaments and throne of Indra in background.","mysore_prompt":"Mysore: clean didactic composition—Vāmana small in foreground, Bali seated with dāna-pātra, subtle depiction of three strides as faint cosmic arcs, fine linework and pastel shading.","mughal_miniature_prompt":"Mughal miniature of a royal donation court: Bali’s assembly, Vāmana as young ascetic, detailed carpets and canopies, Indra’s court hinted in a separate vignette panel."}
Audio Atmosphere: {"recitation_mood":"contemplative","suggested_raga":"Kalyani","pace":"medium","voice_tone":"epic"}
Sandhi Resolution Notes: देवासुरे = देवासुरे (dvandva + loc. sg.); बलिमूर्जितम् = बलिम् + ऊर्जितम्; काश्यपोऽदितिसम्भवः = काश्यपः + अदितिसम्भवः.
Related Themes: Avatāra-kathā sequence in Agni Purāṇa (Vāmana/Trivikrama episode)
FAQs
No ritual procedure is taught here; the verse conveys a puranic principle of divine strategy (upāya) restoring rightful sovereignty—Vāmana’s measured, lawful stratagem against Bali.
It preserves an itihasa-style account of avatāra theology and political-cosmic order (restoration of Indra’s rajya), complementing the Agni Purana’s broader catalog of dharma, governance, and sacred history.
It highlights that dharma can be re-established through divinely sanctioned means, and that pride in power (ūrjita-bhāva) is ultimately subordinated to cosmic law and divine will.