The story of Vamana and Mahabali as Visvamitra tells Rama and Lakshmana
In Valmiki Ramayanam.
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Sargam 29 of Balakandam of Valmikiramayanam
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The Avataram of Vamana....
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Sage Visvamitra visited Ayodhya and requested king Dasaratha to send Rama and Lakshmana along with him to protect a Yajna he proposed to conduct in his own Ashram,, the Sidhaasrama..
Siddhasram in modern time can be located in the Buxar District of Bihar..
Rama and Lakshmana accompany the Sage Visvamitra to the forest.. As they are nearing the beautiful forest region, the young princes are captivated by the beauty and peace prevailing in the area..
Rama requests Visvamitra to tell about the story of the forest area the Siddhasrama where He is having his Ahsram..
The story of Siddhasrham.. and its earlier occupant Lord Vamana unfurl in the words of Visvamitra..
The sage Visvamitra of great glory, when asked by Rama, narrated the story of the forest through which they were travelling
Rama, it was here that the foremost among Gods, Lord Vishnu, who is neither visible or approachable to all beings, resided here and underwent hard penance for eons , and he did his penance to attain powers unimaginable for humans.. The hermitage was occupied by Sage Vamana.. the incarnation of Lord Vishnu and as his Tapas or penance attained siddi or culminated in great positive results here, this abode is called the hermitage of achievement or Siddhasrama..
During the same period, the Asura King Bali the son of King Virochana ( the son of Prahlada) reigned with his own fame over the three worlds after defeating the Gods including Indra and the Maruts.
The Lord of Asuras, Mahabali, performed a Yajna ( at Brighukaccha or the present Barauch of Gujarat in the banks of Narmada) at that time.
The devas, who wanted their kingdom restored , led by the fire god Agni, approached Lord Vishnu doing penance at Sidhasrama and informed Him of the Sacrifice being conducted by Mahabali.. They reminded Vishnu that the Yajna was not yet concluded and that the period during the Yajna had to be used to their advantage and furthering of the cause of the Devas.
During the sacrifice, any person could approach the king with request for some gifts, and anything could be asked of Bali and he would not refuse it..
Therefore the devas requested Vishnu to assume the form of Vamana ( a dwarf.. young initiate) , visit the yajna and obtain appropriate favours for the Devas..
During the same period, Sage Kashyapa, the patriarch of the devas, himself resplendent like fire, was doing penance in the company of mother Aditi who was like the power of the fire itself,.. This penance on Vishnu, the Madhusoodhana for thousand years, and at the culmination of the penance, desiring for the boons from the Lord, made the following prayer to the Lord Vishnu .
“Lord, you are manifesting yourself in the form of Tapa or penance, you are the essesnce of penace, you are indistinguishable from penance, and you are the subject matter for all penance..
I am seeing you before me through a penance well done, you the best among beings.. I am seeing the whole of the three worlds in your body.
Lord you are without beginning.. Your form is not definable by anyone. I beseech refuge at your golden feet.”
Lord Hari was pleased with the sage who was devoid of any blemishes.. Finding the sage fit for obtaining boons, the Lord asked him to obtain his fond desires
In response to the directions of the Lord, Kashyapa the son of Mareechi made the following request.
“To me who is making the request in the company of Aditi and the devas, the Lord who is bountiful in his boons, may be pleased to grant the desire that You, the sinless and resplendent one, may be born as the son of me in Aditi.
Thus you become the younger brother to Shakra.. the Indra the slayer of the Asuras.
And as their brother, you may be pleased to help the devas who are mired in misery of having lost their kingdom.
May this forest area be named Siddhaasrama in your honour.. Please arise from here for the welfare and victory (siddhi ) of the Devas."
Thus requested by the sage Kashyapa through penance, the Lord Hrisheekesha ( the Lord of our Senses), the Janardhana (the tormentor of the evil people) the one who knows everything, who was attired in yellow silk garments, agreed to comply with the reqeust fully..
Thus the ever powerful and resplendant Vishnu was born as son of Kashyapa in Aditi, assuming the name of Vamana.. The Vamana who carried an open umbrella, sported the tuft of an initiate, and carried the Kamadalu, the ritualistic water pot.. assuming the form of a wandering mendicant.
That tiny dwarfish initiate Vamana..
The story progresses and we find this very tiny boy becomes Thrivikrama who measures the whole universe in just two feet of His..
Lord Vishnu who had assumed the form of the dwarfish mendicant Vamana, left his abode and Sidhasram and traversing across India, reached the banks of Narmada where Mahabali was performing a Yajna.
He arrived the hallowed ground where the Yajna was being performed.
There Vamana, the Lord Hari himself told Bali..
“ May all welfare visit you, great King. This Yajna is really praiseworthy. “
He went on..
"Oh King, we heard about the great Yajna being conducted by you, and also knew that bounteous gifts would be offered in the course of the function, and desiring such presents, we have arrived the grounds of your Yajna."
Hearing the words of Vamana, the King bali replied.
“Oh young Sage, the purpose of my life has been fulfilled today. The results for all may penance done during my life has come to fruition. My Kingdom has attained the ultimate blessings during its existence today. The fruits of all my good deeds are realized this day. This Yajna of mine has realized its pupose.. I have realized the ultimate effect of all my good deeds.. For you have come here to this yajna bhoomi seeking gifts and presents.
I am offering unto you with all my heart all that is in my possession.
My treasury with all cash and gems, all the ornament, all the grains available in the granaries of this kingdom, the village(s), the town(s), this country of mine itself, all vehicles, all my army with elephants, horses, chariots and artillery , I offer all these to you.. All my other earnings and possessions too are at your disposal.
Oh Sinless one, I shall gift unto you whatever that you desire”
The boy Vamana smiled a little when Bali made the above offer and replied the king who was doing yajna there.
“What use would I have for the things you have offered to me, oh Great King.. Oh, you generous one, Please give me just a piece of land which could be measured by the extent of three feet of mine.
The great Asura King, when he heard about that demand by the tiny dwarf laughed to himself and relplied.. “ Oh Sage, you are the personification of Brahma power itself, I shall fulfil your desire and do whatever you direct me. “
The King took the decision to gift the area of land as desired by the tiny brahamachari Vamana.
The preceptor of the clan of Asuras and the priest of the king, Sukraacharya, understood what was going on in the mind of Bali, called him aside, and warned him against making such gift.
He told the king,
“ That Vishnu of infinite strength and grace, whom even Brahmadeva, Shiva, Indra, Yogins, Gods and Demons could not really know, that great Divine being is present here in the disguise of a dwarfish child. “
The great Garuda the son of Vinata, who was watching the conversation between Bali and Sukrachraya and also the reluctance of Shukra, pushed the priest aside and gave him a thorough thrashing..
(The protest of Sukra is mentioned in other Puranas too. But elsewhere it is said that Sukra tried to prevent the gift to the dwarf by entering the waterpot of Bali and preventing water being flown as a token of gift, but the boy Vamana pried the mouth of the pot with a sharp darbha and Sukra’s eye was pierced and he jumped out in pain)
However, Mahabali, in consultation with his wife, decided to proceed with the gift..
He thought
“ If the Ultimate Lord Himself has come before me asking for a gift during this Yajna, that itself is the ultimate benefit and fulfilment for this Yajna.. May it be that way..”
Thinking so, bali poured water out of his waterpot at the outstreched hands of that blessed Soul Vamana in token of the gift being confirmed.
He told Vamana.. “ Blessed Lord, please receive from me the area of land which is to be measured by your three feet”
As Lord Hari the Vamana touched the water offered by Mahabali, he manifested Himself in the Universal form visvaroopa and grew into a form which filled the whole three words.. And his hands and the weapons worn filled all the space above the universe and also all the space in the three worlds.
Seeing that the dward of a boy had just grown and occupied the whole universe with his own form, Bali was shocked and surprised. But he knew immediately that it was Lord Vishnu the Madhava Himself, and therefore offered the Lord all the honours befitting his exalted state.
Thus worshipped by Bali, Lord Hari, keeping in mind the welfare of the whole universe with all its occupants, received the entire three worlds from Bali as gift, being measured by just three feet of the Lord.
Lord Vamana the Hari, restored the three worlds to Shakra, the Indra.
And after serving the purpose of his incarnation, Lord Vamana took the Sidha Ashrama as his abode for peaceful living for some time..
Visvamitra tells Rama that he is a devotee of that Vamana and out of reverence for that Lord, he was staying in the same Sidha Ashramam..
Notes
It is mentioned according to the description in Srimad Bhagavatham that after Lord Hari assumed his universal form, there was not sufficient space to be measured by the three feet of Thrivikrama, and hence the third foot was placed on the head of Bali..
It is also mentioned that a battle occurred, and Bali was bound by a rope provided by Varuna and sent to Sutala, a netherworld and released there..
Note 2 Vamana Puranam mentions that as the recompense for the gift of three worlds given by Bali to the Lord, the sacrificial shares when offerings are made to Pithrus in Shradhaam go to Bali.. At the close of Vaivasvatha manvantaram, Bali is expected to return to the earth and rule here as the Manu for the next Manvantaram..
Note 3 People of Kerala believe that Bali was so dear to his subjects and He too loved his subjects of Kerala so much, that he requested the Lord Vamana that he be permitted to visit his subjects one day a year.. on the Thriuvonam day of Chingam month.. We Keralite celebrate the arrival of Mahabali with ten days celebrations culminating on that ONAM day..
अथ तस्याप्रमेयस्य तद्वनं परिपृच्छतः
विश्वामित्रो महातेजा व्याख्यातुमुपचक्रमे॥१
इह राम महाबाहो विष्णुर्देववरः प्रभुः।
अदृश्यः सर्वभूतानां सर्वात्मा सर्वलोकभृत्।
मोहनार्थं तु लोकस्य सर्वेषां जगतः प्रभुः॥२
वर्षाणि सुबहूनीह तथा युगशतानि च।
तपश्चरणयोगार्थमुवास स महातपाः॥३
एषपूर्वाश्रमो राम वामनस्य महात्मनः।
सिद्धाश्रम इति ख्यातः सिद्धो ह्यत्र महातपः॥४
एतस्मिन्नेव काले तु राजा वैरोचनो बलिः।
निर्जित्य दैवतगणान् सेन्द्रांश्च समरुद्गणान्
कारयामास तद्राज्यं त्रिषु लोकेषु विश्रुतः॥५
यज्ञं चकार बलवानसुरेन्द्रो महाबलिः॥६
बलेस्तु यजमानस्य देवाः साग्निपुरोगमाः।
समागम्य स्वयं चैव विष्णुमूचुरिहाश्रमे॥७
बलिर्वैरोचनो विष्णो यजते यज्ञमुत्तमम्।
असमाप्ते क्रतौ तस्मिन् स्वकार्यमभिपद्यताम्।८
ये चैनमभिवर्तन्ते याचितार इतस्ततः।
यच्च यत्र यथावच्च सर्वं तेभ्यः प्रयच्छति॥९
स त्वं सुरहितार्थाय मायायोगमुपाश्रितः।
वामनत्वं गतो विष्णो कुरु कल्याणमुत्तमम्॥१०
एतस्मिन्नतरे राम कश्यपोऽग्निसमप्रभः।
अदित्या सहितो राम दीप्यमान इवौजसा॥११
देवीसहायो भगवान् दिव्यम् वर्षसहस्रकम्।
व्रतम् समाप्य वरदम् तुष्टाव मधुसूदनम्॥१२
तपोमयं तपोराशिं तपोमूर्तिं तपात्मकं।
तपसा त्वां सुतप्तेन पश्यामि पुरुषोत्तमम्॥१३
शरीरे तव पश्यामि जगत्सर्वमिदं प्रभो।
त्वमनादिरनिर्द्देश्यस्त्वामहं शरणं गतः॥१४
तमुवाच हरिः प्रीतः कश्यपं धूतकल्मषम्।
वरं वरय भद्रं ते वरार्होऽसि मतो मम॥१५
तच्छ्रुत्वा वचनं तस्य मारीचः कश्यपोऽब्रवीत्॥१६
अदित्या देवतानां च मम चैवाऽनुयाचतः।
वरं वरद सुप्रीतो दातुमर्हसि सुव्रत॥१७
पुत्रत्वं गच्छ भगवन्नदित्याम् मम चाऽनघ।
भ्राता भव यवीयांस्त्वं शक्रस्यासुरसूदन।
शोकार्त्तानां तु देवानां साहाय्यं कर्त्तुमर्हसि॥१८
अयं सिद्धाश्रमो नाम प्रसादात्ते भविष्यति।
सिद्धे कर्मणि देवेश उत्तिष्ठ भगवन्नितः॥१९
एवमुक्तो हृषीकेशः पीतवासाः जनार्द्दनः।
सर्वज्ञस्तत्तथेत्युक्त्वा कश्यपस्य तपस्यतः॥२०
अथ विष्णुर्महातेजाः अदित्यां समजायत।
छत्री भिक्षुकरूपेण कमण्डलुशिखोज्वलः॥२१