Vamana: Vishnu’s 5th Avatar

Vamana is the 5th avatar of Lord Vishnu, the Preserver Archetype in the Hindu religion. Vishnu took many avatars or incarnations to preserve Dharma and order in the Universe. Whenever evil forces threatened to destroy the world, he would incarnate and vanquish the negative forces that were usually represented by the demons or Asuras. 

Though Vishnu took many avatars, most people have heard only about Dasavatar, or the 10 avatars of Vishnu. They are Matsya, Kurma, Varaha, Narasimha, Vamana, Parashurama, Rama, Krishna, Buddha, and Kalki. According to the Shiva Purana, the 8th avatar is Balarama, the brother of Lord Krishna. 

The Rise of Mahabali

The Asuras and Devas (gods) were always at war. The Asuras wanted to rule over the 3 worlds, and hence, they needed to oust the Devas from heaven and become supreme. Whenever the demons acquired the upper hand, chaos, anarchy, and tyranny became prevalent in the world. To restore order, Vishnu would incarnate and destroy the demons who were responsible for the mayhem. 

The reason for Vishnu’s Vamana Avatar was the rise of Mahabali, the Asura king. He was the grandson of Prahlada, who was a great devotee of Vishnu. Bali became very powerful and invincible in the course of time. But unlike many Asura kings, he was righteous and truthful. His kingdom prospered under his rule. His subjects were happy. Peace and harmony prevailed, as all people were treated equally. The king was known to be generous and just. In fact, disease, drought, and evil were unknown in the three worlds, thanks to Bali.   

On seeing this, the gods felt jealous. They decided to get rid of Bali forever. After Samudra Manthan (the churning of the Milky ocean), the Gods became more powerful, as they obtained the elixir of immortality, Amrit, for themselves by tricking the Asuras. Soon after, Indra’s army succeeded in defeating Bali and his army. 

Bali Performs a Yagya

One day, Bali approached Shukracharya, the Guru of the Asura clan, and asked him, “How can I regain all my powers and my kingdom?”

Shukracharya replied, “Perform the Mahabhishek Vishwajeet Yagya. It can help you regain your powers.” 

So, Bali performed the Yagya under his Guru’s supervision. After the yagya, Bali received many things. One was a golden chariot pulled by four horses that galloped at the speed of the wind. Another was a quiver with many arrows, a flag post with a lion’s head, and celestial armor. Shukracharya also gave him a garland perennially blooming flowers and a conch shell that let out a thunderous battle cry. Bali then waged battle against Lord Indra.

He won the battle, and Indra fled in ignominy. Again, Bali asked Shukracharya’s advice to maintain his powers. Shukracharya said, “Continue to perform yagyas. Then you can lead a fearless and powerful life. Give alms to the poor and Brahmins, as well.“ 

Bali agreed. Meanwhile, Indra met Brihaspati, the Guru of the Devas, to find out how he could regain his supremacy. Brihaspati directed him to Lord Vishnu. Indra began to do penance to please Vishnu. Indra’s mother, Aditi, who was Sage Kashyap’s wife, also asked Vishnu to help her son. Vishnu said, “I will take birth as your son and kill Bali.” 

Birth of Vamana

Aditi soon gave birth to a boy, whom she named Vamana. Vamana was a dwarf. One day, he went to the place where Shukracharya and Bali were performing a yagya, posing as an impoverished Brahmin. Bali asked him, “How can I help you?”

Vamana replied humbly, “I know that you give alms to Brahmins. But I seek neither wealth or luxuries. All I want is enough land that can be covered with my three steps.” Everyone who had gathered for the yagya was surprised to hear this. The Asuras even mocked him. 

Shukracharya’s Ploy

Shukracharya warned Bali that this was no ordinary Brahmin but Lord Vishnu himself. But this did not deter Bali, and he agreed to give Vamana the three steps of land. As the head priest, Shukracharya had to recite some Mantras and pour water from the vessel to confirm the Daan (donation).

To foil the Daan, Shukracharya turned into a fly and entered the vessel. Thus, he prevented the water from flowing from the vessel’s spout. But Vamana put a straw in the vessel’s spout. It entered Shukracharya’s eye and blinded him. Unable to tolerate the pain, he moved out of the vessel’s spout. Thus, the Daan was confirmed. 

Bali goes to Patal

Meanwhile, to everyone’s surprise, the dwarf Brahmin began to grow in size. He became larger than Earth itself. Then he placed a foot on Earth, and said, “The earth is mine.” For the second step, he put his foot on Amravati (Indra’s abode in heaven), which was under Bali’s rule, and said, “Heaven is mine.” Then he asked, “Where should I keep my third step? There is no place left.” Bali replied, “Keep your third step on my head.”

So Vamana placed his foot on Bali’s head and pushed him down into the underworld or Patal. However, pleased with Bali’s generosity, he also blessed him and said that he would be the ruler of Patal forever. Bali wanted Vishnu’s permission to visit his beloved subjects once a year. This was also granted to him. His return is celebrated as the Onam festival in the state of Kerala. 

Vamana Temples

Vamana is usually depicted as a dwarf carrying a wooden umbrella. He is also called Trivikrama. Kerala has many Vamana temples, of which the Sri Vamanamoorthy temple in Thrikkakara, near Ernakulam is very famous. The Oolagalanda Perumal temple in Kanchipuram and Thirukoyilur, Tamil Nadu, and the Triyugi Narayana temple, near Kedarnath, Uttarakhand, are also Vamana temples.