Vamana Purana — Vamana's Birth, Shloka 52

Vamana’s Birth during Bali’s Horse-Sacrifice and the Mapping of Vishnu’s Sacred Presences

Devanagari script

श्रीवामन उवाच ब्रह्मन् व्रजामि देह्याज्ञां कुरुक्षेत्रं महोदयम् तत्र दैत्यपतेः पुण्यो हयमेधः प्रवर्तते

Transliteration

śrīvāmana uvāca brahman vrajāmi dehyājñāṃ kurukṣetraṃ mahodayam tatra daityapateḥ puṇyo hayamedhaḥ pravartate

Translation

व्रतबन्धे कृते दिवाकरः वेदं पपाठ; निशाकरस्तु जडतया वेदं न पपाठ—इति नः श्रुतम्।

Speakers

• Vāmana speaking to Bharadvāja

Primary Deities

• Vishnu (Vāmana)
• Bali (Daitya king, ritual patron)

Key Themes

• Tīrtha-yātrā orientation of narrative
• Royal sacrifice (Aśvamedha) and merit
• Approach to Bali episode
• Ritual legitimacy and divine testing

Verse Rasa (Emotional Flavour)

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

FAQs

Why is Kurukṣetra called “mahodayam” in this context?

The epithet marks Kurukṣetra as a high-potency sacred landscape where ritual acts yield amplified results. In Purāṇic geography, such qualifiers signal a tīrtha’s exceptional efficacy for yajña, dāna, and vrata.

What is the narrative function of mentioning Bali’s Aśvamedha?

It situates Bali as a powerful, ritually competent king and provides the ritual setting for Vāmana’s approach. The Aśvamedha also foregrounds themes of sovereignty, merit, and the testing of generosity.

Why does Vāmana ask a brāhmaṇa for permission to depart?

Purāṇas often model dharmic etiquette: even the divine, in an avatāra role, observes social-ritual propriety by seeking the assent of a venerable brāhmaṇa/ṛṣi, reinforcing the authority of brāhmaṇical counsel within sacred geography narratives.