Vamana Purana — Merit of Shravana Dvadashi, Shloka 80

The Merit of Śravaṇa-Dvādaśī and the Liberation of a Preta through Gayā Piṇḍa-Rites

Devanagari script

मम प्रमाणमालोक्य मामकं च पदत्रयम् संप्रयच्छस्व दैत्येन्द्र नाधिकं रक्षितुं क्षमः

Transliteration

mama pramāṇamālokya māmakaṃ ca padatrayam saṃprayacchasva daityendra nādhikaṃ rakṣituṃ kṣamaḥ

Translation

నా ప్రమాణాన్ని (చిన్న కాయాన్ని) చూచి, నాకు తగిన మూడు అడుగుల భూమిని మాత్రమే దయచేయుము, ఓ దైత్యేంద్రా; అంతకన్నా ఎక్కువ ఇస్తే నీవు నీ ప్రతిజ్ఞను కాపాడలేవు.

Speakers

• Vāmana (Vishnu in dwarf form) addressing Bali (Daityendra)

Primary Deities

• Vishnu (Vāmana)
• Bali

Key Themes

• Dana (charitable gifting)
• Satya (truthfulness) and vow-keeping
• Divine strategy (upāya)
• Humility as a narrative device

Verse Rasa (Emotional Flavour)

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

FAQs

Why does Vāmana ask for only “three steps” and mention his small measure (pramāṇa)?

The request frames the gift as modest and proportionate to a dwarf’s stride, removing any suspicion of overreach. It also sets up the theological reversal: the seemingly small request becomes cosmic when Vāmana reveals Trivikrama.

What does “not capable of protecting (rakṣituṃ)” imply here?

It points to the ethical burden of a donor: a gift must be upheld and protected as a vowed grant. Vāmana warns that giving beyond one’s capacity risks failure in maintaining the pledge—an implicit test of Bali’s steadfastness.

Is this verse primarily about geography, ritual, or dharma?

Here it is chiefly dharma: the integrity of dāna and the binding nature of a promise. The geographical element (land measured by steps) is conceptual rather than naming a specific tirtha in this verse.