Bali was a great asura king. Under his leadership, the asuras attacked and conquered Amaravati, the city of the devas. A victorious Bali was crowned on Indra’s throne by Shukra, the guru of the asuras. To become the king of heaven, a hundred horse sacrifices were required. Bali had already performed ninety-nine. He decided to complete the hundredth one as well. Lord Brahma and many other gods and rishis attended the sacrifice. Lord Vishnu came there in the form of Vamana (a dwarf). He dressed like a batu (religious student) and sang hymns. Bali bowed before Vamana and honoured him by making him sit on his own throne.
Vamana praised King Bali and asked for some land to build his hut. When Bali asked how much land he needed, Vamana said as much as could be measured in three steps. Shukra warned that it was Vishnu in the form of Batu who had come to reclaim Indra’s lost kingdom, but Bali persisted in giving whatever was begged of him. Shukra became enraged, cursed Bali that he would lose all his glory, and departed for his hermitage.
Vishnu had remained in the form of a dwarf until now. Then he began to increase his size and revealed his giant vishwaroopa. He took his first step and covered the entire earth. Then he took his second step and covered all three worlds. Vishnu addressed his vehicle and attendant, Garuda: “In his childish ignorance, Bali offered me sufficient land to be covered in three steps. Two steps have been taken by me, but now he has nothing more to give. You must take the third step from him.”
Garuda rebuked Bali: “Why did you offer to Vishnu when you did not have enough to give? I shall now take it forcibly.” Saying this, he bound Bali in Varuna’s noose.
On seeing that her husband had been bound, Bali’s wife, Vindhyavali, stood in front of Vishnu. She realised that her husband had been tricked: he had been made to promise land equal to the dwarf’s three paces, but had been compelled to give land equal to Vishnu’s giant form’s three paces. Very thoughtfully, she pulled her son, Bana, to her side and said to Vishnu, “Three steps were promised by my husband. Do not worry, he shall still give three steps. Place one step on my head, the second on the head of my son, and the third on the head of my husband.”
Outsmarted, Vishnu praised Bali as the greatest of donors. He released Bali and embraced him. He also granted Bali the kingdom of Sutala and promised to stand forever as his doorkeeper. Thus, the intelligent Vindhyavali saved the day for her kind but naïve husband.
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