Shloka 14

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

Devanagari script

धर्मोत्तरे वर्तमाने ब्रह्मन्नस्मिञ्जगत्त्रये त्रैलोक्यलक्ष्मीर्वरदा त्वायाता दानवेश्वरम्

Transliteration

dharmottare vartamāne brahmannasmiñjagattraye trailokyalakṣmīrvaradā tvāyātā dānaveśvaram

Translation

ఈ త్రిజగత్తులో ధర్మం ఉత్తమంగా ప్రవహిస్తున్నప్పుడు, ఓ బ్రాహ్మణా, వరప్రదాయిని త్రైలోక్యలక్ష్మి నీ వద్దకు వచ్చింది, ఓ దానవేశ్వరా.

Speakers

• Narrator/teacher addressing a Brahmin interlocutor; direct address within the verse to Bali as ‘dānaveśvara’

Primary Deities

• Lakshmi
• Vishnu

Key Themes

• Dharma as the basis of sovereignty
• Lakṣmī (fortune) as a mobile, merit-responsive power
• Legitimacy of rule and cosmic balance

Verse Rasa (Emotional Flavour)

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

FAQs

Why is Lakṣmī said to ‘come’ to Bali, an asura king?

Purāṇic discourse often treats Lakṣmī as responsive to dharma and effective sovereignty rather than to birth-category alone. The verse underscores that Bali’s rule had become so dharma-aligned that prosperity/royal fortune naturally adheres to him.

What is the significance of the epithet “Trailokya-Lakṣmī”?

It is not merely household wealth but the fortune of dominion across the three worlds—i.e., imperial sovereignty and cosmic legitimacy—precisely the kind of power that becomes central to the Vāmana–Trivikrama resolution.

How does this verse prepare for Vāmana’s intervention?

By portraying dharma and Lakṣmī concentrated with Bali, the text sets up a theological tension: even a dharmic asura-king can accumulate excessive cosmic sovereignty, requiring Viṣṇu’s avatāra to restore balance without denying Bali’s merit.