Shloka 12
Vamana's Three Steps — Vamana’s Three Steps and the Binding of Bali
न ददाति विधिस्तस्य यस्य भाग्यविपर्ययः मयि दातरि यश्चायमद्य याचेत् पदत्रयम्
na dadāti vidhistasya yasya bhāgyaviparyayaḥ mayi dātari yaścāyamadya yācet padatrayam
Providence does not grant (success) to one whose fortune has turned adverse—especially when I am the giver and this one today asks for three steps.
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FAQs
It foreshadows Bali’s loss of dominion over the worlds. The very act of giving—normally meritorious—becomes the instrument through which providence executes the destined transfer of sovereignty back to the gods via Viṣṇu.
It highlights the paradox: Bali is famed for generosity and ritual correctness, yet even a powerful donor cannot override providence when the recipient is the Lord in disguise and the cosmic outcome is already set.
No. It stresses discernment (viveka) and the supremacy of divine ordinance. Dāna remains dharmic, but in this episode it becomes the narrative mechanism for revealing Viṣṇu’s cosmic lordship and Bali’s destined humbling.