Introduction
Vamana, "the dwarf", is the fifth avatar of Vishnu and the first in a human form. In this form, he took the three worlds back from the Asura king Bali by asking for the land he could cover in three steps. In his giant form he is called Trivikrama, "of the three strides".
Avatars (avataras, "descents") are the forms in which Vishnu is said to come to the world when dharma is in decline. The idea is stated in the Bhagavad Gita (4.7 to 4.8), where Krishna says that he takes birth in every age to protect the good, destroy the wicked and restore dharma. The most widely accepted list, the Dashavatara, has ten avatars: Matsya (fish), Kurma (tortoise), Varaha (boar), Narasimha (man-lion), Vamana (dwarf), Parashurama, Rama, Krishna, Buddha and Kalki. Other lists exist, for example with Balarama in place of Buddha, and the Bhagavata Purana speaks of twenty-two avatars and says they are innumerable. The Dashavatara is the subject of many temples and works of art, from the rock-cut reliefs of Ellora (the Dashavatara cave) and Mahabalipuram, to Jayadeva's twelfth-century poem the Gita Govinda, which opens with a hymn to the ten avatars.
Family
- Incarnation of: Vishnu
Vedic origins
The idea of Vishnu's three strides (trivikrama) is old. In the Rigveda (1.154 and other hymns), Vishnu is praised as the god who strode across the universe in three steps. In the Brahmana texts, Vishnu takes the form of a dwarf to gain the sacrificial ground for the gods.
The story
Bali, the grandson of Prahlada, was a just and powerful Asura, who had conquered the three worlds. The gods, led by Indra, appealed to Vishnu, and he was born to Aditi and Kashyapa as a dwarf boy, Vamana. He came to Bali's sacrifice as a Brahmin student and asked for as much land as he could cover in three steps. Bali's teacher, Shukracharya, warned him it was Vishnu, but Bali, believing he could not refuse a request at a sacrifice, agreed.
Vamana then grew to a cosmic size. With the first step he covered the earth, and with the second the sky and heavens. There was no place left for the third step, and Bali offered his own head. Vamana placed his foot on it and sent him to the netherworld, Sutala. Pleased by his devotion, Vishnu granted that Bali would be the king of Sutala and the future Indra, and became his gatekeeper.
Onam
The festival of Onam in Kerala celebrates the annual visit of the king Mahabali to his people. In Kerala, Mahabali is remembered as a just and generous ruler under whom the people were prosperous and happy, so the story is understood by many in a different way from the standard Puranic account.
Temples
The Thrikkakara Temple in Kerala is the major temple of Vamana. The Ulagalantha Perumal Temple in Kanchipuram shows the Trivikrama form. Vamana Jayanti is on the twelfth day of the bright half of Bhadrapada.
Meaning
The story is read as a lesson on pride and humility, and on the cosmic power hidden in a small form.