Vamana Purana — Kali's Complaint to Brahma (Part 2), Shloka 5

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

Devanagari script

तं प्राह भगवान् योगी स्वभावं जगतो ऽपि हि न केवलं हि भवतो हृतं तेन बलीयसा

Transliteration

taṃ prāha bhagavān yogī svabhāvaṃ jagato 'pi hi na kevalaṃ hi bhavato hṛtaṃ tena balīyasā

Translation

To him spoke the Blessed Lord, the yogin: “Indeed, the natural order of the world itself (has been seized/overpowered); it is not only yours that has been taken away by that stronger one.”

Speakers

• Brahmā speaking to Tiṣya.

Primary Deities

• Brahmā

Key Themes

• Cosmic imbalance
• Bali’s dominance
• Reassurance through universalizing the problem
• Authority of yogic insight

Verse Rasa (Emotional Flavour)

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

FAQs

What is Brahmā’s rhetorical move in this reply?

He universalizes Tiṣya’s grievance: the disruption is not private but systemic—‘the world’s svabhāva’ is affected. This reframing elevates the issue from personal loss to cosmic disorder, justifying divine intervention.

How should ‘hṛtam’ be understood—stolen, removed, or suppressed?

In Purāṇic narrative, ‘hṛta’ often means ‘taken away/robbed’ in the sense of power, status, or function being suppressed by a stronger force. Here it indicates Bali’s overpowering of established order rather than literal theft.

Why is Brahmā called ‘yogī’ in a courtly scene with Indra and devas?

The epithet underscores Brahmā’s contemplative omniscience: he is not merely a ruler in an assembly but a seer who perceives the deeper causal structure (dharma/ṛta) behind political or cosmic upheavals.