Agni Purana — Veda-vidhana & Vamsha, Shloka 14
Chapter 275 — द्वादशसङ्ग्रामाः
The Twelve Battles
देवासुरे वामनश् च छलित्वा बलिमूर्जितम् महेन्द्राय ददौ राज्यं काश्यपो ऽदितिसम्भवः
devāsure vāmanaś ca chalitvā balimūrjitam mahendrāya dadau rājyaṃ kāśyapo 'ditisambhavaḥ
ଦେବାସୁର ସଂଘର୍ଷରେ ବାମନ ଶକ୍ତିଶାଳୀ ବଳିକୁ ଛଳରେ ବଶ କରି, ମହେନ୍ଦ୍ର (ଇନ୍ଦ୍ର)ଙ୍କୁ ରାଜ୍ୟ ଫେରାଇ ଦେଲେ; ସେ ଅଦିତିଜ ଏବଂ କାଶ୍ୟପବଂଶଜ।
Lord Agni (traditional Agni Purana frame: Agni instructing the sage Vasiṣṭha)
Vidya Category: {"primary_vidya":"Avatara-Katha","secondary_vidya":"Arthashastra","practical_application":"Illustrates strategic diplomacy and lawful recovery of sovereignty; used to teach measured negotiation, oath/boon management, and restoration of rightful rule.","sutra_style":false}
Encyclopedic Reference: {"reference_type":"Description","entry_title":"Vāmana Avatāra: Bali-chalana and Indra-rājya-pratiṣṭhā","lookup_keywords":["Vāmana","Bali","chala (outwitting)","Indra/Mahendra","Aditi-Kaśyapa"],"quick_summary":"Vāmana employs measured stratagem to check Bali’s overreach and restores Indra’s kingship—showing dharma-guided statecraft and the power of vows/boons."}
Alamkara Type: Arthāntaranyāsa (moral implication through narrative); Saṅkṣepa (compressed episode)
Concept: Power must be bounded by dharma; even great might (ūrjita Bali) yields to truth-bound vow and divine order.
Application: In governance/negotiation: use proportionate means, honor commitments, and restore legitimate authority without needless violence.
Khanda Section: Avataras (Vishnu’s Incarnations and Puranic Itihasa)
Primary Rasa: Vira
Secondary Rasa: Adbhuta
Type: Mythic kingdom
Visual Art Cues: {"scene_description":"Vāmana as a small brāhmaṇa approaches Bali, receives the gift, and Indra’s kingship is symbolically returned.","kerala_mural_prompt":"Kerala mural: Vāmana with umbrella and kamaṇḍalu before Bali’s yajña scene, priests and fire altar, Indra in upper register receiving regained throne, flat iconic figures, rich ochres and greens.","tanjore_prompt":"Tanjore: Vāmana with gold halo, Bali offering water in dāna gesture, ornate yajña pavilion, gold embossing on ornaments and throne of Indra in background.","mysore_prompt":"Mysore: clean didactic composition—Vāmana small in foreground, Bali seated with dāna-pātra, subtle depiction of three strides as faint cosmic arcs, fine linework and pastel shading.","mughal_miniature_prompt":"Mughal miniature of a royal donation court: Bali’s assembly, Vāmana as young ascetic, detailed carpets and canopies, Indra’s court hinted in a separate vignette panel."}
Audio Atmosphere: {"recitation_mood":"contemplative","suggested_raga":"Kalyani","pace":"medium","voice_tone":"epic"}
Sandhi Resolution Notes: देवासुरे = देवासुरे (dvandva + loc. sg.); बलिमूर्जितम् = बलिम् + ऊर्जितम्; काश्यपोऽदितिसम्भवः = काश्यपः + अदितिसम्भवः.
Related Themes: Avatāra-kathā sequence in Agni Purāṇa (Vāmana/Trivikrama episode)
FAQs
No ritual procedure is taught here; the verse conveys a puranic principle of divine strategy (upāya) restoring rightful sovereignty—Vāmana’s measured, lawful stratagem against Bali.
It preserves an itihasa-style account of avatāra theology and political-cosmic order (restoration of Indra’s rajya), complementing the Agni Purana’s broader catalog of dharma, governance, and sacred history.
It highlights that dharma can be re-established through divinely sanctioned means, and that pride in power (ūrjita-bhāva) is ultimately subordinated to cosmic law and divine will.