Vamana Purana — Vamana's Birth, Shloka 44

Vamana’s Birth during Bali’s Horse-Sacrifice and the Mapping of Vishnu’s Sacred Presences

Devanagari script

व्रतबन्धं तथेशस्त कृतवान् सर्वसास्त्रवित् ततो ददुः प्रीतियुताः सर्व एव वरान् क्रमात्

Transliteration

vratabandhaṃ tatheśasta kṛtavān sarvasāstravit tato daduḥ prītiyutāḥ sarva eva varān kramāt

Translation

namas/namaste: salutation, reverential bow; viśva: the universe, all; viśvadeva: ‘deity of all’, the all-encompassing divine; viśvātman: the Self of the universe, immanent spirit; viśvasaṃbhava: origin/source of the universe; viśvarūpa: having the form of all, cosmic form; tvattaḥ: from you; abhūt: came to be, arose; idam viśvam: this universe.

Speakers

• Narrative voice describing the upanayana/vratabandha and subsequent boon-giving by assembled figures (not named in excerpt).

Primary Deities

• Vishnu (Īśa/Hari implied by immediate context)

Key Themes

• Upanayana as vow-taking (brahmacarya)
• Orderly bestowal of boons (vara-pradāna)
• Śāstra-knowledge as divine attribute
• Ritual correctness (krama)

Verse Rasa (Emotional Flavour)

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

FAQs

Is “vratabandha” identical to upanayana?

In many Dharma and Purāṇic usages, yes: it denotes the formal undertaking of the brahmacarya vow and the initiation that authorizes Vedic study—functionally the upanayana-saṁskāra.

Who are “all of them” that grant boons?

The verse presumes an assembly already introduced in the surrounding narrative (ṛṣis/devas/elders). Without the adjacent verses, their identities cannot be fixed, but the formula indicates a collective blessing scene following initiation.

Why emphasize “kramāt” (in order) in boon-giving?

It reflects a ritualized, dharmic sensibility: blessings and varas are not random but conferred according to precedence and propriety, mirroring the ordered nature of saṁskāra performance.