Lord Vamana And King Maha Bali

• The Fifth Avatar 

Lord Vamana was the fifth avatar of Lord Maha Vishnu. This avatar came in the Treta yuga and was taken to protect the realm of Gods and the throne of Indra.

 • Lord Maha Vishnu’s First Human Avatar

 The first three avatars of Lord Maha Vishnu were all in the form of animals - Matsya (fish), Kurma (Tortoise) and Varaha (Wild boar). The fourth avatar was in the form of Lord Narasimha, which was half lion and half human. Only in the fifth avatar did Lord Maha Vishnu appear in a human form albeit that of a Brahmin dwarf.

 • King Maha Bali was the grandson of Prahalada

 Prahalada was the reason that Lord Maha Vishnu took the Narasimha avatar. The same Prahalada had a son by the name of Virechana who in turn had a son named Bali. This Bali became the reason of Vamana Avatar.

Maha Bali too was a great devotee of Lord Maha Vishnu

 Like his grandfather Maha Bali too was a great devotee of Lord Maha Vishnu. He was a wise man and was a scholar who had mastered the Vedas. The people loved him as he was a just ruler. He had brought peace and prosperity to his kingdom. 

• Bali’s envy 

Maha Bali, though a righteous man, became envious of Lord Indra. He wanted to be just as great as Indra. He did a great tapas to please Lord Brahma. Lord Brahma, in turn, blessed him with the boon that he could not be defeated in any battle and that he would be as powerful as Lord Indra. 

• Escape of Indra

 Armed with Lord Brahma’s boon, Maha Bali headed toward the heaven. Lord Indra could not fight Bali, as Indra would be defeated as per Lord Brahma’s blessings. Therefore, Indra escaped. The throne was handed over to Bali.

 • Bali: The Lord of the three worlds

 With the heaven under him, he became the one that ruled all the three worlds. This made the gods be scared for their safety and began to pray to Lord Maha Vishnu for help in defeating Maha Bali. 

• The upset Aditi

 Aditi is the mother of all Gods. When all her children had to flee the heaven, she became very upset. She went and asked her husband Kashyapa to avenge her. But as a sage, he was not very capable of doing what she had asked. He advised Aditi to pray to Lord Maha Vishnu and said he would help. 

• Payo vrata

 Payo vrata is a kind of fasting where the observer can only consume a little milk during the muhurt. This vow is said to be Lord Vamana’s favorite and he fulfills everything that you wish for if you observe it correctly and with devotion. Mother Aditi performed this pooja and received Lord Vamana as her gift. 

• Lord Maha Vishnu’s blessings

 Pleased with Mother Aditi’s worship, he granted her some boons. Mother Aditi said that she wished that Lord Maha Vishnu be born as her son and that this son will prove to be the destruction of the King. 

• Lord Vamana changed form when he had just been born 

Soon after Lord Vamana, he changed into a dwarfy Brahman. He only had his loincloth and carried an umbrella in one of his hands and had a kamandalu in the other.

 • Lord Vamana’s demand

 Once, King Maha Bali was performing a great yagna. He had vowed that he would not let a Brahmin go away empty handed. The Short Vamana approached the king. Maha Bali asked the Dwarf Brahmin what he wanted. He answered that he only needed 3 paces of land. Maha Bali agreed to it. 

• Sage Shukra acharya's advice

 The sage Sukracharyad told Bali that the boy was none other than the Lord Maha Vishnu himself. The sage told the King that it was a trap of some kind. But the King wouldn’t listen.

 • The 3 paces of Land 

As Bali stood looking, the Vamana became huge in size. He placed the first feet on the heavens, the next foot landed on the earth, covering all of it. He then asked Bali a place to put his third step. Bali offered his head to place the Lord’s leg.

 • Bali is sent into the underworld

 Lord Maha Vishnu placed his leg on Bali’s head and thus pushed him into the underworld.