Vamana Purana — Nara-Narayana's Tapas, Shloka 59
Nara-Narayana’s Tapas, Indra’s Temptation, and the Burning of Kama: The Origin of Ananga and the Shiva-Linga Episode
ते चापि ऋषयः सर्वे दृष्ट्वा मूर्ध्ना नताभवन् ततस्तान् प्राह भगवान् भिक्षा मे प्रतिदीयताम्
te cāpi ṛṣayaḥ sarve dṛṣṭvā mūrdhnā natābhavan tatastān prāha bhagavān bhikṣā me pratidīyatām
And all those sages, upon seeing him, bowed their heads. Then the Blessed Lord said to them: ‘Alms should be given to me.’
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FAQs
Alms-giving is framed as a dharmic obligation, yet the request coming from a divine mendicant suggests that true dharma is proven in conduct (hospitality, humility), not merely in status or ritual learning.
As with many Purāṇic exempla, it is an instructive carita embedded in the narrative flow, used to teach dharma (especially dāna and satkāra). It is not a cosmological sarga/pratisarga unit.
The deity’s demand for bhikṣā reverses expectations: sages who are typically recipients of gifts are positioned as givers. This inversion highlights that divine presence can appear in socially marginal forms, and that recognition of the sacred is tested through generosity.