एतस्मिन्नेव काले तु विष्णुर्वामनतां गतः । मध्यदेशे चतुर्वेदो ब्राह्मणस्तीर्थयात्रिकः । महोदरो ह्रस्वभुजः खञ्जपादो महाशिराः
etasminneva kāle tu viṣṇurvāmanatāṃ gataḥ | madhyadeśe caturvedo brāhmaṇastīrthayātrikaḥ | mahodaro hrasvabhujaḥ khañjapādo mahāśirāḥ
Pada waktu itu juga, Viṣṇu mengambil rupa Vāmana. Di Madhyadeśa Baginda menampakkan diri sebagai brāhmaṇa pengembara suci, mahir dalam keempat-empat Veda—berperut buncit, berlengan pendek, bertapak pincang, dan berkepala besar.
Sūta (deduced narrator)
Scene: Vāmana as an ungainly brāhmaṇa pilgrim—pot-bellied, short-armed, limping—yet radiant with hidden divinity, holding the quiet authority of the four Vedas.
The Divine may appear in humble, even imperfect-seeming forms; dharma trains one to recognize holiness beyond appearances.
The verse sets up Viṣṇu’s pilgrimage that will lead into the Vastrāpatha/Surāṣṭra sacred landscape within the māhātmya.
No explicit rite; it introduces tīrthayātrā (pilgrimage) as the divine’s chosen mode of approach.