Shloka 7

Kali's Complaint to Brahma (Part 2) — Kali’s Complaint to Brahma and the Arrival of Śrī (Jayaśrī) in Bali’s Reign

Devanagari script

न तस्य कश्चित् त्रैलोक्ये प्रतिषेद्धास्ति कर्मणः ऋते सहस्रं शिरसं हरिं दशशताङ्घ्रिकम्

Transliteration

na tasya kaścit trailokye pratiṣeddhāsti karmaṇaḥ ṛte sahasraṃ śirasaṃ hariṃ daśaśatāṅghrikam

Translation

“For his deeds there is no one in the three worlds who can offer resistance—except Hari, the thousand-headed one, the one of ten-hundred (i.e., a thousand) feet.”

Speakers

• Narrator/teacher continuing the address to Tiṣya (or the immediate listener) about Bali

Primary Deities

• Hari (Vishnu)
• Bali

Key Themes

• Viṣṇu’s transcendence over the three worlds
• Inevitability of divine correction
• Cosmic-form theology (sahasraśīrṣa imagery)

Verse Rasa (Emotional Flavour)

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

FAQs

Why describe Hari as ‘thousand-headed’ and ‘thousand-footed’ in a Vāmana context?

The Vāmana episode culminates in Trivikrama—Viṣṇu’s cosmic expansion to measure the worlds. ‘Sahasra-śiras’ and ‘thousand-footed’ are stock markers of the all-pervading Puruṣa, aligning the narrative with cosmic-form theology: only the infinite can contain the overreaching finite power of Bali.

Does ‘no one in the three worlds can resist’ mean Bali is morally right?

Not necessarily. Purāṇas often distinguish capability from dharma. Bali may be invincible by force and tapas, yet still subject to cosmic order; the verse stresses practical irresistibility, not ethical endorsement.

Is this Hari the same as Vāmana or a different form?

It is the same Viṣṇu viewed at different scales: Vāmana is the strategic, diminutive approach; Trivikrama is the revealed cosmic magnitude. The epithet here points to the latter.