17 - The Story of Trivikrama

Trivikrama: Literally: one who strides over (the three worlds) in three steps: The epithet which was originally and appropriately applied to the Sun in the Vedic period was naturally transferred to Vishnu ‘the all pervader’ who was then identified with the sun-god. The legend of Bali and Vamana which developed out of this (as will be seen later) is not creditable to Vishnu despite the defence of Purana-writers as is found in the Bh. P. 8.15.1-23, Brahma 731.1-69, Pd. P. 1.30.1-203 (to mention a few). By his generosity and truthfulness Bali proved to be higher inn stature and the great Vishnu, a pigmy Vamana as he came to be called aptly.

Suta said:

1. When Andhaka was curbed and restrained, the powerful son of the noble-souled Prahlada, named Virochana, became the king.

2. After conquering Devas including Devendra, the great Asura righteously protected the three worlds including the mobile and immobile beings, for many years.

3. While he was reigning thus, once, the holy lord, the great sage, Sanatkumara came to his city at the instance of Vishnu.

4. The great Asura who had been seated on the throne, got up and went near the son of Brahma. He bent down his head and with palms joined in reverence, spoke these words.

5. “Blessed I am and favoured with grace, since the glorious Lord of Yogins, the expert knower of the Vedas or Brahman, has today personally visited my excellent town.

6. O scholarly Brahmana, why have you come? You are the lord Pitamaha himself. O son of Brahma, tell me, what behest shall I carry out for you?

7. The holy lord spoke to the great Asura endowed with piety: I have come here to see you. You are very fortunate.

8. O excellent Daitya, this sort of policy is very rare among Daityas. There is certainly no other righteous person like you in the three worlds.

9. The king of Asuras who had been addressed thus, spoke again to the great sage—O holy one, the most excellent among the knowers of Brahman, elucidate unto me the greatest of all virtues.

10. The glorious Yogi imparted to the noble-souled king of Daityas the secret-most perfect knowledge of the Atman which is the highest Dharma.

11. Having obtained the greatest knowledge and given Dakshina (money by way of fees) unto the preceptor, he entrusted the burden of kingdom to his son and he became interested in the regular practice of Yoga2.

2. The KP. Differs from the NP. about the end of Virochana. Here he is said to have abdicated the throne in favour of his son Bali and have resorted to the path of Yoga, while in the NP he, at the request of his queen, gave up his life as a price for the water used for washing the feet of the old Brahmin (god          Vishnu in disguise).

12. That son of his was the great and intelligent Asura named Bali. He was favourably disposed towards Brahmanas. He was extremely virtuous. Then he conquered Purandara.

13. Indra, surrounded by all Devas fought a great battle with him. On being defeated, he sought refuge in lord Vishnu, Achyuta (the infallible).

14-15. In the meanwhile, the gentle lady Aditi, the extremely distressed mother of Devas, performed a very severe penance thinking like this— “May a son be born to me for slaying the leading Daityas”. She resorted to the unmanifest Vishnu, Hari, the most worthy of being the refuge.

16. In the filament of the lotus of her heart, she concentrated her mind on Vasudeva, the unsullied great region, devoid of beginning and end, the blissful, unique firmament.

17. The delighted lord Vishnu, Hari the wielder of a conch, a discus and a mace (Shankha, Chakra and Gada), the Yogic Atman appeared in front of the mother of Devas.

18. On seeing Vishnu arrived, Aditi endowed with devotion considered herself as having attained her objects. She propitiated Keshava with the following eulogy.

Aditi said1:

1. This hymn of Vishnu and Prahlada’s advice to Bali (VV. 32-39) shows that no Pasupatisation has been attempted in this legend.

19. Be victorious, O sole cause of destruction of all (lit. the floods of) miseries; Hail to you. Hail to you, O Lord, endowed with the advent of infinite greatness, glory to you. O Lord, with perfect knowledge as your physical form, O Lord devoid of beginning, middle and end. Victory to you, O one resembling the Ether; O one with unsullied bliss as your form.

20. Obeisance to Vishnu of the form of Kala. Salutations to you the Man-lion. Bow to you, to Shesha, Obeisance to Kalarudra, the cause of annihilation; Obeisance to you Vasudeva, salutations to you.

21 Obeisance to you, the wielder of Universal Maya. Obeisance to you, the Reality, comprehensible only through Yoga. Obeisance to you, founded in virtue and perfect knowledge. Obeisance to you, Varaha (the divine Boar); Obeisance to you again and again.

22. Obeisance to you, O Lord with form resembling (refulgent like) a thousand suns and moons, Obeisance to you, O Lord, accessible only through perfect Vedic knowledge and piety. Obeisance to the upholder of the Earth. Obeisance to the unmeasurable. Obeisance to you, O Lord, the source of the origin of the Universe. Obeisance again and again unto you.

23. Obeisance to you, Shambhu1 founded in truth. Salutations to you, the cause of and embodiment for the form of the universe. Obeisance to you stationed in the middle of Yogic seat (meditation). Obeisance to you, the auspicious one of single form. Salutations to you again and again.

1. KP. always emphasizes the identity of Shiva and Vishnu. Though the Puranas have later been classified as Shaivite, Vaishnavite, etc., they have taught oneness of these deities as they are the various manifestations of the Brahman, the one Reality (ekam sat). Unfortunately, despite the attempts of the Purana-writers to bring about a sort of unification or samanvaya in these sects (sampradayas), their followers continued to quarrel about the superiority of their own sect.

24. Lord Vishnu, identical with the universe, who was thus propitiated by the mother of Devas, laughingly told her to choose the boon she wished.

25. Bowing down her head on the ground, she chose the excellent boon— “For the welfare of Devas, I choose this boon that pray, you be my son.”

26. The Lord favourably disposed towards those who resort to him said, “So be it.” The incomprehensible Lord vanished there itself, after granting the boon.

27. After a lapse of time the mother of Devas conceived Janardana, Lord Narayana himself, in her womb.

28. When Hrishikesha occupied the womb of the mother of Devas, evil portents of terrible nature happened in the city of Bali, the son of Virochana.

29. On seeing the evil portents, the leader of the Daityas became agitated due to fear. He bowed to Prahlada, the aged Asura and his grandfather, and said to him: —

Bali said:

30. “O grandfather of great intelligence, why does this portentous phenomena happen in this city of ours. What may be the reason thereof? What should be done now”?

31. After hearing his words, and meditating for a long time, the great Asura bowed down to Hrishikesha and spoke these words:

Prahlada said:

32. “For the purpose of slaying the Asuras, the mother of the heaven-dwellers has conceived in her womb that Vishnu who is worshipped by means of Yajnas and to whom belongs this entire universe.

33. That Vasudeva from whom everything is non-different and who differs from everything, has entered the womb of the mother of Devas.

34. That Lord Vishnu whose form even Devas do not know precisely, has entered today the body of Aditi by his own wish.

35. That Hari, the ancient Purusha, the great Yogin from whom the living beings originate, and wherein they attain dissolution, has now incarnated.

36. That Vishnu, wherein the conception of name, caste, etc. has no place and who is of the mere form of existence, is being born with a portion of himself.

37. That Janardana, whose power is the mother of the Universe, Maya, goddess Lakshmi, who is the sustainer of the Dharma, has incarnated.

38. He whose form constituted of Tamas is Rudra and whose body is formed of the Rajo-guna is Brahma and whose form sustained by Sattva-guna is Vishnu.

39. Thinking thus about Govinda, with a mind humble due to devotion, seek shelter in him alone. Thereby, you will attain great bliss.”

40. Thereafter, at the instance of Prahlada, Bali, the son Virochana, sought refuge in Hari. He, the knower of piety and virtue, protected the Universe righteously.

41. When the proper time arrived, Aditi, the mother of Devas, bore to Kashyapa, the son, Mahavishnu himself, the increaser of the delight of Devas.1

1. The episode of the incarnation of Mahavishnu as the son of Aditi-Kashyapa and his subsequent assumption of the cosmic form, etc, as given here closely follows the version in the Bh. P. VIII Skandha & not the one in Pd. P. wherein he (Mahavishnu) pushes the demon Dhundhu the same way. The significant difference between the Vamana episode in the KP & Bh. P. is that in the KP. Shukra does not come in the way of Bali while he was about to donate three paces of land, and Vishnu does not push Bali down to the nether world. Bali saw the transformation of the drawf Vamana into the cosmic figure and occupying the three worlds with three steps and his reassumption of a dwarf (Vamana) form. He completes the formality of gift by pouring water on his hand and as per his advice enters Patala to lead a life devoted to Vishnu.

42. (She gave birth to Vishnu) who had four arms and large eyes, whose chest is marked by Shrivatsa emblem, who resembles the blue cloud (in complexion), who was resplendent and surrounded by glorious halo (Shri—or goddess of wealth).

43. Devas, Siddhas, Sadhyas, Charanas, of whom Indra was the head and Brahma surrounded by the groups of sages approached Upendra* (god Vishnu) (for worshipping him).

*Upendra in the nom. Being meanings (and prob. a misprint) is emended as Upendram as the acc. sg. and so, translated.

44. Lord Hari, whose investiture with the sacred thread was performed, studied the Vedas and the code of good conduct from Sage Bharadvaja holding it as a model for the people in the three worlds.

45. Thus the Lord points out the worldly course of conduct. The common people follow what he does as they consider him the authority.

46. Then, in course of time, the intelligent Bali, son of Virochana, worshipped Vishnu, the all-pervading Lord of Yajnas by performance of Yajnas.

47. He worshipped Brahmanas after giving them abundant wealth. Brahmana sages came to the sacrificial hall of the noble soul.

48. Lord Vishnu came to know of this and urged by Bharadvaja, he came to the place of Yajna assuming the form of a Vamana (Dwarf).

49. With the hide of a black antelope and the sacred thread (as the upper garment) and shining with the sacred staff of a Palasha tree in his hand, the extremely brilliant Brahmana (Vishnu, the Dwarf) with matted hair, came there reciting the Vedas.

50. Coming near the king of Asuras, Hari the mendicant begged him for the space traversed by three steps of his own feet.

51-52. Bali endowed with pious emotions washed the feet of Vishnu and sipped that water. He took up the pitcher made of gold and thought thus “I shall give unto you the space covered by three steps. May Lord Hari of unchanging shape be pleased. After contemplating thus, he poured the very cool water on the sprout-like hands of the Lord.

53. The Lord of the Daityas had sought refuge in him. Desirous of making him free from covetousness and other passions, the primordial Lord covered, in his strides, the Earth, firmament and heaven.

54. The foot of the Lord traversed the three worlds, and went to the Brahmaloka from the region of Prajapati. The leading gods, the chief of whom were the Adityas, and the Siddhas who stayed there bowed unto him [v.l. who was refulgent like a thousand suns.]

55. The Primordial Lord, the beginningless grandsire of the world, offered worship to him and propitiated him. After cracking the Upper crest of the Cosmic egg, he embellished with divine ornaments went again.

56. Thanks to the breaking of the Egg, the great cool water resorted to by the meritorious, flowed over. The excellent river was designated as Ganga by god Brahma. It was stationed in the sky.

57. After reaching the great Prakruti, Pradhana, the source of Brahman and then the sole Purusha, the seed (origin) of the universe, he stabilised his foot at the unchanging region of Isha. Seeing it, the gods eulogised it at those different places.

58. On seeing that Purusha with the universe for his physical body, Bali the great, bowed to Vishnu with devotion. He bowed to Narayana, the one and only unchanging deity whom the Vedas pay obeisance and revere with their minds.

59. Lord Vasudeva, the primordial creator became a Dwarf once again and said to him— “O Lord of Daityas, in effect, the three worlds have been given over to me by you yourself.”

60. Bowing down again his head, the Daitya poured water at the tip of his hand (and said), “I shall offer myself unto you of infinite splendour and abode, to Trivikrama of unmeasured stride.”

61. After accepting dana (lit. what has been offered) from Bali, the son of Prahlada’s son, Shankha-pani (i.e., the conch-armed deity Vishnu), the immanent soul of the universe spoke again, to Daitya: “Enter the root (the downmost part) of the nether world.

62. Enjoying pleasures unavailable even to gods, stay there permanently. By the path of devotion, meditate on me continuously. At the close of the Kalpa, you will enter me once again.”

63. After advising this to that lion-like Daitya, Vishnu of great strides and of truthful exploits, gave the three worlds unto India.

64. Siddhas, Devas, sages, Kinnaras, gods Brahma, Indra, Lord Rudra and Adityas (the sun-gods) and the group of Maruts eulogised the Deity of great Yoga.

65. After performing that miraculous feat, Vishnu who had assumed the form of a dwarf (Vamana) vanished there itself even as all of them were watching.

66. Being urged by Prahlada and other leading Asuras, the excellent Daitya Bali, the glorious devotee of Vishnu went to Patala.

67. He asked Prahlada about the greatness of Vishnu, the excellent path of devotion and the procedure of his worship. He (Prahlada) explained all these and he (Bali) did in accordance with it.

68. With great emotional attachment, he sought refuge in the Deity holding a discus and a conch in hand—the incoprehensible Lord with lotus-like eyes. He concentrated his mind with love in him, and followed the path of Karman.

69. O Brahmanas, the exploits of Vamana have been thus described to you. That Purushottama accomplishes the tasks of Devas.