Shloka 7

Vamana's Three Steps — Vamana’s Three Steps and the Binding of Bali

Devanagari script

गुरोर्मदीयस्य गुरुस्तस्यास्त्यग्निपरिग्रहः न स धारयते भूम्यां पारक्यां जातवेदसम्

Transliteration

gurormadīyasya gurustasyāstyagniparigrahaḥ na sa dhārayate bhūmyāṃ pārakyāṃ jātavedasam

Translation

मदीयगुरोर्गुरुस्तस्यास्त्यग्निपरिग्रहः; स पारक्यभूमौ जातवेदसं न धारयति।

Speakers

• Vāmana (Vishnu in brahmacārin guise) addressing Bali (Daitya king) in the sacrificial arena

Primary Deities

• Vishnu (Vāmana)
• Agni

Key Themes

• Dharma of yajña and sacred fires
• Gift-giving framed as religious necessity
• Property/ownership norms in ritual law
• Vāmana’s strategic humility

Verse Rasa (Emotional Flavour)

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

FAQs

Why does Vāmana mention ‘my guru’s guru’ and the rule about not keeping fire on another’s land?

The verse invokes a dharma-legal rationale: maintaining consecrated fires (agni-parigraha) is tied to rightful possession of land. By citing the preceptor’s lineage, Vāmana strengthens the authority of the request and frames it as a necessity for ritual propriety rather than personal gain.

What does ‘Jātavedas’ signify here?

Jātavedas is a Vedic epithet of Agni. In Purāṇic narrative it often functions as a reverential synonym for the sacrificial fire itself—especially the fire that must be properly housed, fed, and ritually protected.

Is this verse primarily ritual instruction or narrative strategy?

Both. It reflects a dharma principle (ritual fires should not be maintained on ‘borrowed’ land), while also serving the narrative: Vāmana’s seemingly modest, rule-based request prepares the ground for the later cosmic expansion of the ‘three steps’.