Shloka 56
Vamana's Three Steps — Vamana’s Three Steps and the Binding of Bali
त्रिविक्रम उवाच सुतलस्थस्य दैत्येन्द्र यानि भोगानि ते ऽधुना भिवष्यन्ति महार्हाणि तानि वक्ष्यामि सर्वशः
trivikrama uvāca sutalasthasya daityendra yāni bhogāni te 'dhunā bhivaṣyanti mahārhāṇi tāni vakṣyāmi sarvaśaḥ
त्रिविक्रम म्हणाला—हे दैत्येंद्र! सुतलात असताना तुझे जे अत्यंत मौल्यवान भोग आता होतील, ते मी सर्व प्रकारे विस्ताराने सांगतो.
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FAQs
In Purāṇic theology, Bali’s ‘defeat’ becomes a transformation: his truthfulness and gift-giving (dāna) are acknowledged, and Viṣṇu grants him a sovereign realm (Sutala). The verse frames Sutala not as punishment but as a divinely protected kingship with superior prosperity.
Sutala is a netherworld region (pātāla-loka) assigned to Bali. It functions as a legitimate ‘country’ in cosmic geography—an underworld kingdom with its own splendor—often described as surpassing even heavenly opulence due to Viṣṇu’s favor.
Mahārha (‘most excellent/precious’) signals that Bali’s forthcoming prosperity is not ordinary sensual pleasure but an elevated, divinely sanctioned well-being—an outcome of merit and Viṣṇu’s boon rather than mere demonic power.