Shloka 13

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

Devanagari script

इत्येवमुक्त्वा वचनं महात्मा भूयो ऽप्युवाचाथ हरिं दनूजः याचस्व विष्णो गजवाजिभूमिं दासीहिरण्यं यदभीप्सितं च

Transliteration

ityevamuktvā vacanaṃ mahātmā bhūyo 'pyuvācātha hariṃ danūjaḥ yācasva viṣṇo gajavājibhūmiṃ dāsīhiraṇyaṃ yadabhīpsitaṃ ca

Translation

ครั้นกล่าวดังนี้แล้ว ทานวะผู้มีจิตยิ่งใหญ่ก็กล่าวกับพระหริอีกครั้งว่า “ขอเถิด พระวิษณุ จงขอแผ่นดิน ช้างและม้า นางทาสีและทองคำ—สิ่งใดที่พระองค์ปรารถนา”

Speakers

• Bali (Dānava king) speaking to Vāmana/Viṣṇu (Hari)

Primary Deities

• Vishnu

Key Themes

• Dana (charity)
• Satya (truthfulness)
• Royal generosity
• Testing of dharma
• Vāmana’s alms-request as divine strategy

Verse Rasa (Emotional Flavour)

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

FAQs

Why does Bali offer elephants, horses, servants, and gold when Vāmana’s request is traditionally ‘three steps of land’?

Bali’s speech foregrounds the full spectrum of royal gifts (bhūmi, wealth, retinue, and military assets). In the narrative logic, this magnifies Bali’s dāna-śīla (habitual generosity) and sets up the contrast: Vāmana will choose a seemingly minimal gift (three steps), revealing the divine intent.

What is the dharmic significance of addressing Viṣṇu as ‘Hari’ while speaking to a ‘brahmacārin’ Vāmana?

Calling him Hari acknowledges the hidden divinity behind the ascetic guise. The Purāṇic style often lets characters speak on two levels—socially to a mendicant, theologically to the Supreme—underscoring that dāna offered to a worthy recipient reaches the deity.

Does this verse contain any sacred-geography markers typical of the Vāmana Purāṇa?

No explicit tīrtha, river, forest, or kṣetra is named in this śloka; it is a courtly-dharma exchange within the Vāmana–Bali episode.