Vamana Purana — Trivikrama Theophany, Shloka 18

Vishnu’s Return to Brahmā and the Vāmana–Trivikrama Theophany

Devanagari script

एतत् तवोक्तं भगवांस्त्रिविक्रमश्चकार यद् देवहितं महात्मा रसातलस्थो दितिजश्चकार यत्तच्छृणुष्वाद्य वदामि विप्र

Transliteration

etat tavoktaṃ bhagavāṃstrivikramaścakāra yad devahitaṃ mahātmā rasātalastho ditijaścakāra yattacchṛṇuṣvādya vadāmi vipra

Translation

ഓ വിപ്രാ! നീ പറഞ്ഞതുപോലെ മഹാത്മാവായ ഭഗവാൻ ത്രിവിക്രമൻ ദേവഹിതമായ കാര്യം ചെയ്തു. ഇനി രസാതലത്തിൽ വസിക്കുന്ന ദിതിജൻ (ദിതിയുടെ പുത്രൻ) ചെയ്തത് കേൾക്കുക; ഇന്ന് ഞാൻ പറയുന്നു।

Speakers

• Pulastya to Nārada (or a brāhmaṇa interlocutor addressed as vipra)

Primary Deities

• Vishnu
• Daityas (Diti-born, i.e., Bali’s lineage)

Key Themes

• Divine action for cosmic order (deva-hita)
• Shift of scene from Svarga to Rasātala
• Daitya response to Viṣṇu’s act
• Narrative framing and transmission

Verse Rasa (Emotional Flavour)

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

FAQs

Who is the ‘ditija’ in Rasātala—Bali or another Daitya?

In the Vāmana cycle, ‘ditija’ commonly points to Bali (a Daitya king). The verse functions as a narrative hinge: after Trivikrama’s deva-hita act, the text turns to Bali’s condition and actions in the netherworld.

What is Rasātala in Purāṇic cosmology?

Rasātala is one of the subterranean realms (pātāla regions). In many Purāṇas, Daityas and Nāgas inhabit such regions; here it marks the relocated domain associated with Bali after the Trivikrama episode.

Why does the narrator emphasize ‘as you have said’ (tavoktam)?

It indicates dialogic continuity—either the listener summarized prior points or the narrator acknowledges an earlier statement—before introducing the next narrative unit (Bali in Rasātala).