The Three Steps of Lord Vamana: The Experience of Enlightenment

 Jnanis, the Knowledgeable Ones, would immediately assume a look of indulgence if they were to read the title of this post.  Patiently they would tell me, Enlightenment is not an experience. On the contrary, to the Enlightened, all experience is appearance in Self.   

But the story that I tell today is not the wisdom of someone who is already enlightened. Instead, I tell story of an Individual, a Jiva and his valiant journey to enlightenment.  Of lived experience. Of the amazing layers the story hides.

The Story of Vamana Mahabali is well known in India and essentially goes thus:

Bali was a virtuous and generous asura King, grandson of Prahlada Maharaj, famed for his righteousness, devotion, and unmatched charity.  Valiant, Dharmic and disciplined, he had conquered the three worlds, including Lord Indra’s Swarga Lok. He ruled his domain with generosity and fairness. 

In keeping with His Kingly Duties, Bali decided to perform an Aswamedha Yagna, in order to establish his sovereignty and authority as an Emperor. A formalization of his Chakravartin status.  Indra, understandably, grew apprehensive and frightened of Bali’s glory. He prayed for Lord Vishnu’s help in this matter.

Opportunity presented itself during the Yagna process, in the course of which it is a normal practice for the King to grant alms to visiting wise men.  Vishnu, who is Lord Almighty Himself, assumed the form of Vamana, a dwarf Brahmachari.  Approaching King Bali, Vamana asked for three steps of land.  Śukrācārya, Bali’s guru, warned him that the dwarf was none other than Vishnu in disguise and would test him. Yet Bali, the great devotee and righteous King that he was, kept his word and granted the boon. On receiving it, Vamana grew into Trivikrama, covering earth and heavens in two strides. With nowhere left, Bali offered his head, upon which Vamana placed the third step.  

The third step transports Bali into a different dimension, the Patala, where he is crowned the ruler.  Touched by Bali’s righteousness, Lord Almighty promises to be ever present with him.

Additionally, Bali is granted immortality, eternal fame, and the boon to return once a year to visit his people (celebrated as Onam in Kerala).  And as an honour to his greatness, we know him today as Mahabai or the Bali the Great.

This is the basic outline of the legend, described in much more detail is Bhagavad Purana and other Vaishnava scriptures.   Amazing though the story is, growing up, I always used to have the feeling that there was more to the story than what is immediately understood on the first reading. 

So, what do the three steps really signify? Let’s unpack the story together.

Saranagati and the Experience of Bliss

The legend of Mahabali is first and foremost an account of intense devotion and surrender. A recognition that to the true devotee, everything, including one’s possessions, achievements and station in life, entirely and wholly belong to the Lord Himself.  Offering all that back to Lord is akin to standing on the waters of the holy river Ganga and offering the water in prayer to Ma Ganga.  What is offered already belonged to the Lord.  The only reason to have scoped up a little in the palm of the hand is to offer it back.  Thus, in the Vamana Mahabali legend, first two steps represent the surrender of the external trappings of Samsara to the Lord.

The third step however is the critical one because it deals with the most subtle of our possessions, which is the ego.  One of the main functions of ego is appropriation and attributing it to oneself -- I did this, that is mine, I caused this to happen.  Ego is tied to our sense of person.   When Bali offered his head to Vamana, what that actually indicates is that he surrendered his ego to the Lord.  The ultimate surrender or Saranagati.  That’s what the third step represents.

It is this surrender, this Saranagati, that grants Bali the eternal companionship of the Lord.  Transcendence and Bliss.   

However, Saranagati of this level is impossible for most of us to even imagine, controlled by ego that we are.  Of course, many of us take shelter under Lord’s protection, but in most cases the protection we seek is for our tiny selves and all the chains that bind us.  What Bali Maharaj did was to sacrifice that ego itself. 

But if not Bali, who else could do something this great?  Was he not brave -- the conqueror of the three worlds?  Was his not from the Lineage of the great Prahlad Maharaj, the foremost among devotee himself?  Was his not a devotee of the first order himself?

It is his valour, devotion and control of emotions that made him worthy of this sacrifice.  As the legend shows, even for him the final offering was not easy.  Śukrācārya’s warning is indicative of an ego that wants to hang on to the illusory world. Bali is Great because he had the determination to resist ego and go beyond it.  

As Swami Vivekananda had remarked – The Love of God can’t be reached by the weak.  King Mahabali is a great example of that truth.

Srila Prabhupada held this sacrifice of ego Bali in high esteem.  According to Srila Prabhupada, the Vamana Avatar story teaches us that true spiritual wealth is gained through surrender and devotion to the Lord, and that even powerful kings can achieve eternal glory by sacrificing their material possessions and ego. 

What we see in the Mahabali legend, is essentially the highest achievement of a devotee, of a Bhakta – the surrender of the ego to gain the eternal companionship of almighty.  

The scriptures say he went to Patala. But if the Lord Himself promised to be with him always, is that not the same as residing in Goloka, the eternal abode, the highest destination of the devotee?  In that sense, Mahabali did not lose anything at all — he attained the highest victory. And what Lord Vishnu offered him was not a punishment, but that most precious prize.

Can there be a deeper understanding of the story?  Perhaps we can indeed go deeper, but let’s leave that for Part-2 of this exploration.

For now, let’s pray to Lord Almighty that he blesses us with devotion and Saranagati as well.  There’s no better guide in our spiritual progress than the Bhagavad Gita.

Jai Sri Krishna

Happy Onam.