VAMANA TRIVIKRAMA AVATARA

 VAMANA TRIVIKRAMA AVATARA

The asura King Bali, the grandson of prahlAda was performing the ashwamEdha yagya. To subdue his pride, Lord VishNu arrived there as a dwarf brahmin boy, vAmana asking for bhikshA, wearing the girdle belt made of MunjA grass (maunji/ mekhalam), sacred thread (yagyOpaveetam), deerskin (ajinam) and carrying an umbrella (chatram), stick (danDam) and a water pitcher (kamanDalu) filled with water. Seeing his lustre, Bali was happy to serve him.  He washed vAmana's feet with water and sprinkled that pAda teertham on his own head. He offered to gift vAmana anything He wished, so that his sacrifice will end with a happy note. But vAmana cleverly asked for 3 footsteps of land. Amused at the small size of vAmana’s feet, an overconfident Bali prepared for the bhoo dAnam.  

 When Bali was ready to give libations of water from his kamaNDalam, SukrAchArya, mahAbali's Guru understood the truth that it was Lord VishNu trying to trick mahAbali. Though He gave an heads up, mahAbali refused to go back on his promise.  Inorder to save mahAbali from losing all his wealth, Shukra got into the spout of the kamaNDalam/tirukAvEri in the form of an insect, to stop the water from flowing out.  But vAmaNa pricked shukra's eyes with his pavitram made of darbha grass. (The sudarshana chakra is said to have taken the form of pavitra grass to punish shukra).  Shukra then ran away. 

Beginning his dAnam again, mahAbali poured water in vAmana’s beautiful hands. Accepting the water, vAmana grew in huge size, taking the form of trivikrama. He measured the whole earth and the lower worlds with one foot, the sky and the upper worlds with another foot, and for the third footstep, Bali offered his head in surrender, realizing that trivikrama was the Parama PuruSha. Lord trivikrama also called urukrama (one with wide feet), forgave Him and offered Bali a kingdom in the Sutala region.

When Lord trivikrama spanned the upper worlds, Lord BrahmA offered flowers and arghya of water unto His foot (tiruvaDi). This pAda teertham from Trivikrama, overflowed down as Ganges and Lord Shiva caught the floods and tied Ganga in His matted locks, thereby purifying Himself. (Sreemad BhAgavatam, Canto 8.18-23).

VAMANA AVATARA

*Was king mahAbali’s punishment justified?*

*There is a general opinion that the most generous king mahAbali chakravarti should not have been sent to pAtAla lOka.  BhAgavatam Chapter 8 clears our doubts explaining the story further.

*When Bali mahArAja refused to obey his Guru ShukrAchArya's genuine adivice, He cursed that Bali would lose all his wealth. An so it happened but there is lot more to it.

*Lord trivikrama convicted mahAbali of not fulfilling his promise because He had received only two footsteps of land which covered the entire expanse of earthly regions and the upper regions but not the nether regions.  Hence, He thought it fit to send mahAbali to pAtAla, the remaining nether region.

*But seeing trivikrama’s expanded form, the truthful and intelligent MahAbali immediately offered his head for the third step and told viShNu that he did not want to be defamed as a king who failed to keep up his word. He also explained to the Lord that he regarded the punishment from the supreme Lord as the most exalted and rare to get and that he was an egoistic demon who was now blessed to be enlightened by VishNu.  Though mahAbali lost all his riches, he was righteous and devoted to vishNu and of steady mind just like his grandfather prahlAda.

*Just then, prahlAda appeared praising Lord vishNu as the one who gave mahAbali all the heavenly abodes and took away all his riches in order to quash His pride of wealth.  He surrendered to VishNu saying that material opulence makes the most learned and self-controlled man forget the goal of God-realisation.  

*Bali mahArAja’s wife VindhyAvali spoke apologetically with folded hands saying that when VishNu is the creator, maintainer, and annihilator of the entire universe, it was inappropriate for men like her husband to claim proprietorship of the wealth they enjoy on account of VishNu’s mercy.

*BrahmA also appeared in the scene and pleaded VishNu that mahAbali be released as he had given away all riches he had, including himself.

*Lord VishNu then explained His mode of operation thus: “Aristocratic birth is an impediment to devotion.   When a rich person deluded by material opulence has false prestige and pride, I shower special mercy on Him by taking away his riches to create a steady mind in Him and divert Him towards devotion. On the other hand, if a person born in a rich family, is youthful, performs wonderful activities, has beauty, education, wealth, and is not proud of his assets, he is to be considered as the one specially favoured by Me.

*MahAbali, although punished, fallen from his high status and bereft of all riches, upheld his religious vow and was true to his word.  As a gift for his abundant tolerance, I give him the kingship of heaven in the sAvarni manvantara.  Until then he will have a place in sutala, a planet in the subterranean region specially built by VishvakarmA according to my order, which is a place desired even by the Gods.  There he may live peacefully with his subjects without having to face any misery whatsoever as no one will be able to conquer him.   I shall myself guard him there and be with Him always, thus removing his age-old connection with the daityas and dAnavas.  Then,  VishNu left wishing mahAbali thus “May good fortune be to You, dear mahAbali! Bhadram astu tE!”. 

*Thus VishNu promised to stay in the close proximity of MahAbali as the guard of his kingdom. So, do you think mahAbali was really punished? Let's ponder!!!.......

....And the inscrutable ways of the Lord continue........

VAMANA AVATARA IN DIVYA PRABANDHAM

We can enjoy vAmana avatAra described extensively in the tiruvandAdis of the Mudal AzhvArs. The three AzhvArs Poygai AzhvAr, BhoodattAzhvAr and PEyAzhvAr had a divine vision of Lord Trivikrama when they met each other in the narrow porch of sage MrukaNDu's Ashrama.