तवैश्वर्येण पुष्टाङ्गा जित्वा त्रैलोक्यम् ओजसा स्थिराः स्यामः सुरेशान कथं दैत्यं नमेमहि
Strengthened by your power, having conquered the three worlds by your might, may we remain steadfast, O Lord of gods; how can we bow to a demon?
इत्य् एतद् एव वचनं श्रुत्वा दैतेयसूदनः उवाच सर्वान् अमरान् देवानां कार्यसिद्धये
Hearing these very words, the slayer of the Daityas spoke to all the immortals, for the accomplishment of the gods' purpose.
मद्भक्तो ऽसौ बलिर् दैत्यो ह्य् अवध्यो ऽसौ सुरासुरैः यथा भवन्तो मत्पोष्यास् तथा पोष्यो बलिर् मम
That Daitya Bali is my devotee; he cannot be slain by gods or demons. Just as you are nourished by me, so Bali is nourished by me as well.
विना तु संगरं देवा हत्वा राज्यं त्रिविष्टपे बलिं निबध्य मन्त्रोक्त्या राज्यं वः प्रददाम्य् अहम्
Without battle, O gods, I will bind Bali by means of a mantra, and having slain him, I will grant you the kingdom of heaven.
तथेत्य् उक्त्वा सुरगणाः संजग्मुर् दिवम् एव हि भगवान् अपि देवेशो ह्य् अदित्या गर्भम् आविशत्
Saying 'so be it,' the hosts of gods returned to heaven; and the blessed Lord of gods entered Aditi's womb.
तस्मिन्न् उत्पद्यमाने तु उत्सवाश् च बभूविरे जातो ऽसौ वामनो ब्रह्मन् यज्ञेशो यज्ञपूरुषः
As he was being born, there were celebrations; he was born as Vāmana, O Brahman, the Lord of sacrifice, the person of the sacrifice.
एतस्मिन्न् अन्तरे ब्रह्मन् हयमेधाय दीक्षितः बलिर् बलवतां श्रेष्ठ ऋषिमुख्यैः समाहितः
Meanwhile, O Brahman, Bali, best of the strong, consecrated for a horse-sacrifice, was attended by foremost sages.
पुरोधसा च शुक्रेण वेदवेदाङ्गवेदिना मखे तस्मिन् वर्तमाने यजमाने बलौ तथा
And his priest Śukra, knower of the Vedas and their branches, was present at the sacrifice, as Bali performed the rite.
आर्त्विज्य ऋषिमुख्ये तु शुक्रे तत्र पुरोधसि हविर्भागार्थम् आसन्नदेवगन्धर्वपन्नगे
For the sake of the sacrificial offerings, the chief among the officiating sages, Śukra, was present as the priest, surrounded by gods, Gandharvas, and Nāgas.
दीयतां भुज्यतां पूजा क्रियतां च पृथक् पृथक् परिपूर्णं पुनः पूर्णम् एवं वाक्ये प्रवर्तति
Let it be given, let it be enjoyed, let worship be performed separately and fully; thus, the statement proceeds, again and again, in completeness.
शनैस् तद्देशम् अभ्यागाद् वामनः सामगायनः यज्ञवाटम् अनुप्राप्तो वामनश् चित्रकुण्डलः
Gradually, Vāmana, singing the Sāma hymns, arrived at that place; Vāmana, adorned with brilliant earrings, entered the sacrificial enclosure.
प्रशंसमानस् तं यज्ञं वामनं प्रेक्ष्य भार्गवः ब्रह्मरूपधरं देवं वामनं दैत्यसूदनम्
Bhārgava, seeing Vāmana and praising that sacrifice, recognized Vāmana as the god in the form of Brahma, the slayer of demons.
दातारं यज्ञतपसां फलं हन्तारं रक्षसाम् ज्ञात्वा त्वरन्न् अथोवाच राजानं भूरितेजसम्
Knowing him as the giver, the fruit of sacrificial austerities, and the destroyer of demons, Bhārgava quickly spoke to the king, radiant with great energy.
जेतारं क्षत्रधर्मेण दातारं भक्तितो धनम् बलिं बलवतां श्रेष्ठं सभार्यं दीक्षितं मखे
He is the conqueror by the duty of kṣatriyas, the giver of wealth through devotion; Bali, the foremost among the powerful, consecrated with his wife in the sacrifice.
ध्यायन्तं यज्ञपुरुषम् उत्सृजन्तं हविः पृथक् तम् आह भृगुशार्दूलः शुक्रः परमबुद्धिमान्
Śukra, the tiger among Bhṛgus and supremely wise, spoke to him who was meditating on the sacrificial person and offering oblations separately.
यो ऽसौ तव मखं प्राप्तो ब्राह्मणो वामनाकृतिः नासौ विप्रो बले सत्यं यज्ञेशो यज्ञवाहनः
That Brahmin who has arrived at your sacrifice in the form of Vāmana is not a true Brahmin, O Bali; he is the lord of sacrifice, the bearer of sacrifice.
शिशुस् त्वां याचितुं प्राप्तो नूनं देवहिताय हि मया च सह संमन्त्र्य पश्चाद् देयं त्वया प्रभो
A child has come to ask you, surely for the benefit of the gods; after consulting with me, O master, you should give afterwards.
बलिस् तु भार्गवं प्राह पुरोधसम् अरिंदमः
Bali, the subduer of enemies, spoke to Bhārgava, the priest.
धन्यो ऽहं मम यज्ञेशो गृहम् आयाति मूर्तिमान् आगत्य याचते किंचित् किं मन्त्र्यम् अवशिष्यते
Blessed am I, for the lord of sacrifice comes to my house in person; having arrived, he asks for something—what remains to be discussed?
एवम् उक्त्वा सभार्यो ऽसौ शुक्रेण च पुरोधसा जगाम यत्र विप्रेन्द्रो वामनो ऽदितिनन्दनः
Having spoken thus, he, together with his wife and Śukra, the priest, went to where the foremost Brahmin, Vāmana, son of Aditi, was.
कृताञ्जलिपुटो भूत्वा केनार्थित्वं तद् उच्यताम् वामनो ऽपि तदा प्राह पदत्रयमितां भुवम्
With hands joined in reverence, he asked, 'For what purpose have you come?' Vāmana then spoke: 'Give me land measuring three steps.'
देहि राजेन्द्र नान्येन कार्यम् अस्ति धनेन किम् तथेत्य् उक्त्वा तु कलशान् नानारत्नविभूषितात्
Give, O king, for there is no other purpose; what use is wealth? Having said 'so be it,' he brought vessels adorned with various jewels.
वारिधारां पुरस्कृत्य वामनाय भुवं ददौ पश्यत्सु ऋषिमुख्येषु शुक्रे चैव पुरोधसि
Pouring water as a preliminary rite, he gave land to Vāmana, as the chief among sages and Śukra, the priest, looked on.
पश्यत्सु लोकनाथेषु वामनाय भुवं ददौ पश्यत्सु दैत्यसंघेषु जयशब्दे प्रवर्तति
As the lords of the worlds watched, he gave land to Vāmana; as the assembly of demons looked on, shouts of victory arose.
शनैस् तु वामनः प्राह स्वस्ति राजन् सुखी भव देहि मे संमितां भूमिं त्रिपदाम् आशु गम्यते
Slowly, Vāmana spoke: 'Blessings, O king, be happy; give me the measured land of three steps, it will be quickly taken.'
तथेत्य् उवाच दैत्येशो यावत् पश्यति वामनम् यज्ञेशो यज्ञपुरुषश् चन्द्रादित्यौ स्तनान्तरे
The lord of demons replied, 'So be it,' as he looked at Vāmana, the lord of sacrifice, the sacrificial person, with the moon and sun at his chest.
यथा स्यातां सुरा मूर्ध्नि ववृधे विक्रमाकृतिः अनन्तश् चाच्युतो देवो विक्रान्तो विक्रमाकृतिः तं दृष्ट्वा दैत्यराट् प्राह सभार्यो विनयान्वितः
As the gods stood at the fore, the form of mighty stride grew; the endless and infallible Lord, the valiant one, took on the form of the stride. Seeing him, the king of the Daityas, together with his wife, spoke with humility.
क्रमस्व विष्णो लोकेश यावच्छक्त्या जगन्मय जितं मया सुरेशान सर्वभावेन विश्वकृत्
Stride forth, O Viṣṇu, Lord of the worlds, as much as your power allows, O embodiment of the universe. O Lord of the gods, O creator of all, I have given you all I possess.
तद्वाक्यसमकालं तु विष्णुः प्राह महाक्रतुः
At that very moment, the great sacrificer Viṣṇu replied to those words.
दैत्येश्वर महाबाहो क्रमिष्ये पश्य दैत्यराट्
O lord of the Daityas, mighty-armed one, I shall stride; watch, O king of the Daityas.