Shloka 44

Vamana's Three Steps — Vamana’s Three Steps and the Binding of Bali

Devanagari script

नात्राश्चर्यं यज्जगद् वै समग्रं क्रमत्रयं नैव पूर्णं तवाद्य क्रमेण त्वं लङ्घयितुं समर्थो लीलामेतां कृतवान् लोकनाथ

Transliteration

nātrāścaryaṃ yajjagad vai samagraṃ kramatrayaṃ naiva pūrṇaṃ tavādya krameṇa tvaṃ laṅghayituṃ samartho līlāmetāṃ kṛtavān lokanātha

Translation

आज तुझ्या तीन पावलांनी समग्र जगत् पूर्णपणे व्यापले गेले नाही, यात आश्चर्य नाही. हे लोकनाथ, तू तर एका पावलातच ते लंघू शकतोस; ही त्रिपद-क्रिया तू केवळ लीलारूपाने केली आहेस.

Speakers

• Bāṇa (son of Bali) speaking in praise to Janārdana/Viṣṇu (Vāmana–Trivikrama).

Primary Deities

• Vishnu (Janardana/Trivikrama/Vamana)

Key Themes

• Divine Lila (God’s play)
• Trivikrama’s cosmic stride
• Bhakti expressed as stuti
• Lordship over the cosmos

Verse Rasa (Emotional Flavour)

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

FAQs

Why does the speaker say it is ‘no wonder’ that the universe is not filled by the three strides?

The praise is hyperbolic theology: Viṣṇu’s true magnitude is beyond cosmic measure. If the Lord can surpass the cosmos in one stride, then the three strides are not a limitation but a chosen mode of revelation.

What is implied by calling the act ‘līlā’ (divine play)?

It frames the avatāra-event as voluntary and pedagogical rather than forced by necessity: the Lord manifests a measurable sequence (three steps) to instruct beings, uphold dharma, and honor Bali’s gift, while remaining transcendent.

How does this verse fit the Vāmana–Bali narrative arc?

It belongs to the stuti portion where a devotee (here Bali’s son Bāṇa) interprets the cosmic expansion not as mere conquest but as a deliberate, gracious display of sovereignty and compassion.