Vamana Avatar: The Dwarf Brahmin, King Bali and the Three Steps

Vamana, “the small one”, is the fifth avatar of Vishnu in the list of the Dashavatara, and the first whose form is wholly human: a young Brahmin boy of short stature. His story is among the best loved in the tradition because it turns on generosity and on a surprising kind of victory. Vishnu does not defeat King Bali in battle. He asks him for a gift, and the gift is given freely. This page tells the story, looks at how it has been read, and explains the connection many people draw with the festival of Onam, and then the temples.

Where the story comes from

The seed of the story is in the Rigveda, where Vishnu is praised for crossing the whole universe in three strides. That image of the three steps, with no mention yet of a dwarf or of Bali, is the root of later tellings. The Vamana avatar as a story is found in the Puranas: the eighth book of the Bhagavata Purana tells it at length, and the Vishnu Purana and the Vamana Purana, named for the avatar, also tell it, along with the Ramayana in a short passage that places the avatar’s hermitage in the forest of Siddhashrama. The versions agree on the main events and differ in the details, including how Bali’s fate ends.

The story as the tradition tells it

Bali, also called Mahabali, was an asura king, a grandson of the devotee Prahlada, and a ruler known for his justice and generosity. By the strength of his rule and sacrifices he conquered the three worlds and pushed the gods, led by Indra, out of their home. Aditi, mother of the gods, asked Vishnu for help, and he was born to her and the sage Kashyapa as a small boy, Vamana.

When Bali held a great sacrifice, the boy came as a guest in the dress of a young student, carrying a staff and an umbrella. Bali welcomed him and offered any gift he wished. Vamana asked only for as much land as he could cover in three steps. Bali’s teacher, Shukracharya, saw through the disguise and warned the king not to agree. Bali replied that a king who had promised could not take his word back, and poured the water of the gift into the boy’s hands.

Then Vamana grew until he filled the sky. With his first step he crossed the earth, and with the second the heavens. There was nowhere left for a third step. Bali bowed and offered his own head as the place for the last step. Vamana set his foot there, and sent Bali to Sutala, a beautiful underworld realm. In the Bhagavata version Vishnu grants Bali a promise that he will be the future Indra, in a later age, and says that he himself will guard Bali’s gate. The form with the giant stride is called Trivikrama, “the one of the three strides”, and it is shown in temple sculptures with one foot lifted high.

How the story is read

In the devotional reading, Bali is a good king who gives up everything, and what he receives in return is a closeness to the Lord that heaven could not give him. Readers who stress this reading note that Bali is honoured in the Bhagavata as a great devotee and not just as an opponent. Others read it as a lesson about pride: even a just ruler can grow too sure of his own power. Politically minded readers have pointed out that a story in which a god takes land from a righteous king can be told from either side, and in some communities Bali is remembered with more affection than Vamana. The tradition itself allows both feelings. Tradition places the Vamana avatar in the Treta Yuga, the second of the four ages, after Narasimha and before Parashurama.

Onam and King Bali

In Kerala, the festival of Onam is linked in popular tradition with King Mahabali, who is believed to return each year to visit his people, and who is welcomed with flower carpets and a feast. The festival celebrates a golden age under his rule. Vamana has a place in the story but it is Mahabali whom the festival honours. Different communities in Kerala tell the story in somewhat different ways, and the pages on this site do not attempt to settle them.

The festival: Vamana Jayanti

Vamana Jayanti is kept on the twelfth tithi of the bright fortnight of Bhadrapada, Dwadashi, which comes the day after Parivartini Ekadashi. Many Vaishnavas observe the Ekadashi fast and break it on Dwadashi, so the two days are closely linked, and in some regions the Dwadashi is called Vamana Dwadashi. Devotees worship Vishnu in the form of Vamana, offer rice, curd, sweets and fruit, and read the Vamana story. In some homes, a gift is given to a Brahmin or to anyone in need, which echoes the theme of the story. The calendars differ on the exact day in a given year, so use the panchang your family follows.

Temples

• Ulagalantha Perumal Temple, Kanchipuram, Tamil Nadu: the image is a huge standing Trivikrama, with one leg raised. It is one of the 108 Divya Desams, the holy places of Vishnu praised by the Alvar poets.
• Ulagalanda Perumal Temple, Tirukkovilur, Tamil Nadu: another Divya Desam with a towering Trivikrama image.
• Thrikkakara Vamanamoorthy Temple, near Kochi, Kerala: a Vamana temple that is closely tied in local tradition with the Onam story.
• Trivikrama images elsewhere: Trivikrama appears in sculpture in many places, including the Badami cave temples in Karnataka and the Ellora caves, so a visit to an old Vishnu temple may show this form.

Check each temple’s own notice before travelling.

Reading and reciting

The Vishnu Sahasranama has names for Vishnu as Vamana and Trivikrama, and the Achyutashtakam is a short Vishnu hymn. The tradition of fasting on the twelfth day is explained in the guide to Ekadashi vrat.

The next avatar

The list continues with Parashurama, Rama of the axe. Go back to the Dashavatara overview for all ten.

Frequently asked questions