Shloka 8

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

Devanagari script

तदर्थमभियाच्ऽहं मम दानवपार्थिव मच्छरीरप्रमाणेन देहि राजन् पदत्रयम्

Transliteration

tadarthamabhiyāc'haṃ mama dānavapārthiva maccharīrapramāṇena dehi rājan padatrayam

Translation

ఆ కారణార్థం, ఓ దానవపార్థివా, నేను మిమ్మల్ని అభ్యర్థిస్తున్నాను—ఓ రాజా, నా శరీర ప్రమాణంతో కొలిచి నాకు మూడు అడుగుల భూమిని దయచేయండి।

Speakers

• Vāmana to Bali

Primary Deities

• Vishnu (Vāmana)

Key Themes

• Dana (charitable gifting)
• Kingship and patronage
• Vāmana’s vow and measured request
• Foreshadowing of Trivikrama
• Dharma vs. pride (implicit)

Verse Rasa (Emotional Flavour)

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

FAQs

Why does Vāmana specify ‘measured by my body’?

It underscores apparent smallness and humility: the request seems trivial for a universal monarch like Bali. This rhetorical minimization is central to the Vāmana motif—what is ‘small’ by human measure becomes immeasurable when the divine form expands.

Is ‘three steps’ already a known theological symbol here?

Yes. The ‘three strides’ (trīṇi padāni) echo the Vedic Viṣṇu (Trivikrama) theme. The Purāṇic narrative recontextualizes it as a dāna-request that tests the king’s dharma and exposes the limits of worldly sovereignty.

What dharma principle is being tested in Bali?

The integrity of dāna: a king’s promise to a worthy petitioner, especially in a yajña setting, is a public dharma-act. The narrative will contrast Bali’s generosity and vow-keeping with the cosmic claim of Viṣṇu over all realms.