Bhū-dāna
Bhū-dāna · bhū-dāna, “the gift of land”
Grammar: neuter noun; a compound of bhū (the earth, land) and dāna (gift): “the gift of land”.
Meaning: the gift of land, one of the dānas most dear to Bhagavān Vishṇu.
In the scriptures: the Vāmana Purāṇa tells the gift of land twice, each time as a gift of three steps to Bhagavān Vāmana.
Bhagavān Vāmana asked the dānava king Dhundhu for three steps of ground to match the measure of his body, saying he could protect no more. The ṛtvijas and Dhundhu laughed, but since he would accept nothing else, Dhundhu gave him the gift of three steps of land. As soon as it was given, Bhagavān Vāmana, whose power is infinite, took the virāṭ form of the three steps and began to cover the three worlds (Vāmana Purāṇa, Chapter 52).
At Bali‘s yajña, Bhagavān Vāmana asked for three steps of ground matching the measure of his body, on which to keep the sacred fire. Bali offered him elephants, horses, chariots, land and gold, and even Rasātala, the earth and the Bhuvar and Svar lokas, but Vāmana held to three steps. Then the great daitya took the water vessel and gave three steps of ground to Bhagavān Vishṇu as dāna, and as the water of the gift fell on his hand, Vāmana took a form made of the whole world. Afterwards Bali’s son Bāṇa reminded him that a gift made knowing the place, the time and the recipient (deśa, kāla, pātra) becomes akshaya (imperishable): “What my father made was a gift of land (bhū-dāna). The recipient: you, the Deva of devas. The time: the holy yoga of the Moon with the Jyeshṭhā and Mūla nakshatras. The place: Kurukshetra, the crown among kshetras.” Janārdana answered that because Bali had released the holy stream of the gift into his hand, Bali’s life would last until the end of the kalpa, and in the Sāvarṇi manvantara he would become Indra (Vāmana Purāṇa, Chapter 65).
The Saro Māhātmya tells the same gift: Vāmana asked Bali for only three steps of land to keep his sacred fires; Bali urged him to ask for a hundred thousand steps, but Vāmana said that much was enough, and Bali gave his word. As soon as the water of the gift fell into his hand, Vāmana was no longer short, and he showed his virāṭ form, made of all the devas (Vāmana Purāṇa, Saro Māhātmya, Chapter 10).
Prahlāda teaches Bali: “Of dānas, go-dāna (the gift of cows), bhū-dāna, and the gifts of cloth, food and gold give great prīti (delight) to Madhusūdana” (Vāmana Purāṇa, Chapter 68).
Related terms: Dāna · Go-dāna · Pātra · Akshaya · Trivikrama
Sources
- Vāmana Purāṇa, Chapters 52, 65, 68
- Vāmana Purāṇa, Saro Māhātmya, Chapter 10