Vamana is the fifth avatar of Vishnu in the Dashavatara: son of Aditi and Kashyapa, in the form of a dwarf brahmin boy. The daitya king Bali had conquered heaven; at his yajna Vamana asked for three steps of land, then in his cosmic form measured the whole world in two steps, and for the third Bali offered his own head (Bhagavata 8.18-22). The Lord gave Bali the realm of Sutala and returned the three worlds to Indra (Bhagavata 8.22-23; Vishnu Purana 3.1).
- In the Dashavatara
- The fifth avatar
- Form
- A dwarf brahmin brahmachari; then Trivikrama, the cosmic form of the three steps
- Parents
- Aditi and the rishi Kashyapa; as Indra’s younger brother, also called Upendra
- Birth
- Bhadrapada Shukla Dwadashi, Shravana nakshatra, the Abhijit muhurta; this Dwadashi is called ‘Vijaya’ (Bhagavata 8.18.5-6)
- Yuga (tradition)
- Treta yuga
- Others in the story
- The daitya king Bali (Prahlada’s grandson), Shukracharya, Aditi, Indra
The story in the Bhagavata
Bali, king of the daityas, grandson of Prahlada and son of Virochana, conquered heaven with the help of the Bhrigu brahmins (Shukracharya and others), and the gods went into hiding (Bhagavata 8.15). Grieving for her sons, Aditi worshipped the Lord with the payovrata that Kashyapa taught her (8.16-17), and the Lord was born as her son: on Bhadrapada Shukla Dwadashi, in the Shravana nakshatra and the Abhijit muhurta, when the sun stood at midday (8.18.5-6).
As a dwarf brahmachari Vamana came to Bali’s yajna. When Bali told him to ask for any gift he wished, he asked for three steps of land measured by his own feet (8.19). Shukracharya warned Bali that this was Vishnu himself and would take everything, but Bali said that to go back on one’s word is the greatest wrong, and poured the water that seals the gift (8.19.29 to 8.20).
Then Vamana’s form grew until it filled the earth, the sky, the directions, the worlds and the oceans (8.20.21). In two steps he measured the whole world and asked Bali where to place the third (8.21). Bound in Varuna’s noose, Bali said calmly: place the third step on my head (8.22.2). Prahlada came there too (8.22.13-15). The Lord gave Bali the realm of Sutala, said to be desired even by those in heaven (8.22.32), and Bali went to Sutala (8.23).
In the Vedas and the Vishnu Purana
Vishnu’s three strides are already in the Rigveda (for example 1.22.16-18 and 1.154); according to Wikipedia the Rigveda does not call Vishnu a dwarf. The Shatapatha Brahmana (1.2.5.5) says “Vishnu was a dwarf”, and the gods put him forward to ask the asuras for as much land as Vishnu could lie on.
According to the Vishnu Purana (3.1), in this manvantara Vishnu was born as Vamana, son of Kashyapa and Aditi, won the worlds with three steps and gave them back to Indra (Purandara). The Vishnu Purana (3.2) also says that in the eighth (Savarni) manvantara Bali, son of Virochana, will be Indra.
Festivals
Bhadrapada Shukla Dwadashi is kept as Vamana Dwadashi (Vamana Jayanti), since the Bhagavata (8.18.5-6) gives it as Vamana’s birthday. On Kartika Shukla Pratipada, Maharashtra and Karnataka keep Bali Pratipada (Padwa) in memory of King Bali. Kerala’s Onam is linked with the return of King Mahabali; according to scholars quoted by Wikipedia, Onam is an old harvest festival that has come to be tied to the Mahabali story.
Where the sources differ
- Where Bali went: Sutala in the Bhagavata (8.22-23); Patala in general in other tellings. Both the Bhagavata and the Vishnu Purana (3.2) make him the Indra of the coming Savarni manvantara.
- The yuga: the Dashavatara tradition places Vamana in the Treta yuga; the Vishnu Purana (3.1) calls him the avatar of this (Vaivasvata) manvantara.
Frequently asked questions
Why did the Vamana avatar happen?
The daitya king Bali had conquered heaven. At the prayer of Aditi, mother of the gods, the Lord was born as her son Vamana, asked Bali for three steps of land, measured the three worlds and returned them to Indra (Bhagavata 8.15-23).
When is Vamana Jayanti?
On Bhadrapada Shukla Dwadashi. The Bhagavata (8.18.5-6) gives this day, in the Shravana nakshatra and the Abhijit muhurta, as Vamana’s birth.
Where was the third step placed?
On King Bali’s head; Bali himself said, place the third step on my head (Bhagavata 8.22.2).
Is Onam linked to the Vamana avatar?
In Kerala, Onam is held to be the festival of King Mahabali visiting his people. According to scholars quoted by Wikipedia, Onam began as a harvest festival and later came to be tied to the Mahabali story.
Sources
- Bhagavata Purana 8.15-23, in particular 8.18.5-6, 8.20.21, 8.22.2, 8.22.32 (G. V. Tagare’s English translation, Motilal Banarsidass, archive.org)
- Vishnu Purana 1.21 (Bali’s lineage), 3.1, 3.2 (H. H. Wilson’s translation, archive.org)
- Shatapatha Brahmana 1.2.5.5 (Julius Eggeling’s translation, Sacred Books of the East, vol. 12, archive.org)
- Wikipedia: “Vamana” (the three strides of the Rigveda, scholars on Onam)
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