Vamana Purana — Kali's Complaint to Brahma (Part 2), Shloka 52

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

Devanagari script

त्रिविष्टपं शासति दानवेन्द्रे नासीन् क्षुधार्तो मलिनो न दीनः सदोज्ज्वलो धर्मरतो ऽथ दान्तः कामोपभोक्ता मनुजो ऽपि जातः

Transliteration

triviṣṭapaṃ śāsati dānavendre nāsīn kṣudhārto malino na dīnaḥ sadojjvalo dharmarato 'tha dāntaḥ kāmopabhoktā manujo 'pi jātaḥ

Translation

{"has_teaching": true, "teaching_type": "dharma", "core_concept": "Anityatā of power; kṣātra-dharma’s reversals in war", "teaching_summary": "The fall of a single leader can unravel an army; worldly might and adornment are abandoned when prāṇa is threatened, underscoring the instability of asuric confidence.", "vedantic_theme": "anitya-saṃsāra; ahaṅkāra-bhaṅga", "practical_application": "Do not anchor identity in status or external display; cultivate steadiness under pressure and discernment about impermanence."}

Speakers

• Narrator voice within the Pulastya–Nārada dialogue context (Pulastya describing the effects of Bali’s rule)

Primary Deities

• Indra (contextual)
• Vishnu (contextual)

Key Themes

• Ideal kingship and welfare
• Prosperity under righteous rule
• Dharma–Kāma balance
• Cosmic governance and legitimacy

Verse Rasa (Emotional Flavour)

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

FAQs

What does ‘triviṣṭapa’ denote here?

It denotes Svarga, the celestial realm associated with the Tridaśas (the ‘Thirty-three’ gods). The verse states that Bali held sovereignty there, implying Indra’s displacement in the narrative arc.

How should ‘malina’ be read—physical impurity or moral decline?

Both senses are possible, but in a welfare-list (hunger, misery, impurity) it primarily signals absence of defilement and degradation in society; secondarily it can imply that Bali’s rule maintained order and restraint rather than chaos.

Why mention that ‘even a human’ became an enjoyer of pleasures?

It underscores social normalization: under stable, dharmic governance, people can pursue kāma without falling into disorder. Purāṇic political theology often presents dharma as the condition that makes legitimate enjoyment possible.